2019 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Vite Talin

97 POINTS

Antonio Galloni MW - Vinous

The 2019 Barolo Vite Talin is a huge, dense wine. Inky dark fruit, licorice, graphite, mocha and spice stain the palate as this dense, super-concentrated Barolo shows off its notable opulence. Powerful and explosive, with huge tannins and a beautifully sustained finish, the Vite Talin is quite a Barolo. Interestingly, Vite Talin once represented the cutting edge at Sandrone, but now that all the wines have moved toward a style that emphasizes more freshness than in the past, this is starting to feel like an outlier.

96 POINTS

Falstaff

Rich, highly concentrated ruby red colour with a fine garnet rim. Enchanting nose that opens with notes of fresh leather, liquorice, wild raspberry and nutmeg. Dense, concentrated tannins characterise the palate, firm and gripping. Long finish but unfortunately a little rough on the end. Still needs a lot of maturation.Reviewers: Othmar Kiem, Simon Staffler

95 POINTS

Monica Larner - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

This is a fascinating expression that puts the emphasis on grape instead of terroir. The 2019 Barolo Vite Talin is made with a special clone of Nebbiolo identified by the Sandrone family and farmed for many years on an experimental basis before this wine came into being. Barolo vineyards le Coste, Drucà and Rivassi are featured. The wine ferments in oak and ages in tonneaux for two years, followed by more time in botti and bottle. The 2019 vintage will be remembered for its extra concentration and richness, and you definitely sense that here thanks to the wine's dark, extracted appearance and its intense aromas of dried blackberry, bacon, campfire, barbecue smoke and baked prune. It's less territory-driven for sure, but the wine is especially rich, concentrated and structured. The tannins are tightly coiled and aggressive. I also notice a hint of a leafy vegetable or celery root. This is a 2,500-bottle release.