2004 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis

Decanted.   Delicately spiced and perfumed, and very delicate on the palate. Sweet red fruit and fragrant with roses. Much less grip and far more silky than many 2004s at this stage and the decanting has clearly helped – though the tannins are present. Very young and a lot more complexity to come but really classy and fine. (JH)

I was blown away by the breathtaking purity and definition of Sandrone’s 2004 Barolo Cannubi Boschis. A translucent dark ruby, this weightless yet sumptuous Barolo bursts from the glass with layers of dark ripe fruit that coat the palate with stunning grace and elegance. As it sits in the glass notes of licorice, tar and sweet toasted oak gradually emerge to complete this magnificent wine. I tasted this along with the 2001, which has shut down considerably since I last tasted it earlier this year. Today the 2004 is the more elegant wine although the 2001 looks to be more powerful and perhaps longer-lived. My rating of the 2001 (95) appears to have been conservative by about 2 points. One of the highlights of the vintage, Sandrone’s 2004 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is not to be missed. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024. Luciano Sandrone has been ecstatic about the quality of his 2004s since I first tasted the wines with him in the winter of that year. While 2004 is a superb vintage overall, Sandrone’s wines stand out, most notably for their extraordinary elegance. Importers: Vintus LLC, Pleasantville, NJ tel. (914) 769-3000

(aged in 500-liter barrels, about 25% new) Good deep ruby-red. Compellingly sexy aromas of raspberry, coffee and mocha. Lush and silky on entry, then wonderfully bright and delineated in the middle palate, with very fresh red and black fruit flavors of outstanding richness. Mounts impressively on the back end, finishing classically dry and with a real whiplash of juicy fruit flavors. A wine like this would make a terrific late release; by then, it may well merit an even higher score.