This product is no longer available. Please choose another vintage above.

Sandrone - Valmaggiore label

Sandrone - Valmaggiore 2011

Red Wine

Log in to view pricing and order online

Don't have an account? Register here

Item# 83065-11

Estate

Luciano Sandrone is one of the iconic producers in Barolo, and his is both a well known and extraordinary story. He started to learn viticulture at the age of 14 or 15, and after years of work as a cellarman he depleted his life savings and purchased his first vineyard on the Cannubi hill in 1977, though he could only manage his land on the weekends while he continued to work. He made his first few vintages in his garage, until the winery he built in 1998 was ready. The new winery, built at the foot of the steep Cannubi hillside in the heart of the Barolo district, is characterized by the respect for tradition and desire for innovation that also define Sandrone wines.

Vineyard

Typically Valmaggiore is 3-9 degrees warmer than in Barolo, and spring arrives a week or two earlier. The Valmaggiore hill itself is incredibly steep: 45 degrees in places. The soil is comprised almost entirely of sand from shallow sea and beach deposit, with almost no organic matter, forcing the vines to grow deep down for nutrients.

Vinification

Each vineyard block is vinified separately. Alcoholic fermentation begins about 24-36 hours later from native yeasts only. A gentle maceration takes place in upright open-top steel tanks for the first 7-9 days of alcoholic fermentation. Immediately after alcoholic, which takes around 25 days, malolactic takes place in 500 liter French oak casks. The wine remains in these casks for 12 months.

Wine

Sandrone's Valmaggiore is a distinct site of exceptional terroir that was assembled over 8 years from almost 40 different owners. Just 15 miles away from Barolo, in the Roero region, Nebbiolo produces a lighter structure and ripe, smooth tannins that are not unlike those of Pinot Noir. This is not a "baby Barolo" or a second wine, but rather a distinct interpretation of a completely different winemaking zone.