2000 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis

The 2000 Barolo Cannubi Boschis shows early signs of maturity in its autumn leaves, leather and spices. There is an attractive silkiness to the fruit, but ultimately the 2000 comes across as a bit two-dimensional, especially in context with some of the truly great vintages. The wine does freshen up a touch in the glass, not enough to make a material difference. Ideally the 2000 is best enjoyed over the next few years. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2018. I can still remember tasting Luciano Sandrone’s 2000 Baroli when they were young. The wines were unusually soft, seamless and pleasurable. Today Sandrone’s 2000s are more advanced than I had hoped or expected, which is somewhat of a disappointment as I own bottles of the 2000 Cannubi Boschis. I also own bottles of older vintages going back to 1988, and it is pretty clear the 2000 falls short of the standard this winery established in its truly great vintages, both before and after.

The 2000 is characteristic of the vintage, with a huge nose of over-ripe, almost stewed fruits. It is richer, rounder and softer than either the 1999 or 2001, displaying generous amounts of sweet, dark fruit with a lingering balsamic note on the finish. This doesn't quite have the freshness or complexity of the very best vintages, but it will offer irresistible drinking today and for at least another 15 years.

Saturated deep red. Less expressive on the nose than Le Vigne, hinting at blackberry, flowers and smoky oak. Suave on entry, then quite closed in the middle palate; less obviously lush and sweet than Le Vigne but more gripping. Then very strong on the back end, building impressively and demonstrating a serious tannic structure that transcends the vintage. Built to age.