2020 Luciano Sandrone Aleste Barolo, Piedmont

Cherry and hibiscus aromas with hints of tar and dried flowers such as roses. Full-bodied and layered, with lots of juicy and rich fruit showing the warmth of the vintage, yet it’s framed with creamy and chewy tannins that give it form and intensity. A very serious and structured 2020. Drink after 2030.

97 points jamessuckling.com

The Luciano Sandrone 2020 Barolo Aleste (with 10,000 bottles released) is layered with sweet earth and drunken cherry. It shows seamless integration and a crescendo of intensity that starts with ripe fruit and dovetails into oak elements, licorice, spice and balanced acidity. This wine is very beautiful in terms of mouthfeel, with length and complexity. Aleste is made with fruit from Cannubi Boschis in the village of Barolo. This is the full monty.

96 points Monica Larner robertparker.com

Luciano Sandrone Aleste Barolo is a powerful and deeply expressive wine from one of Barolo’s most iconic producers. Sourced exclusively from the Cannubi Boschis vineyard in the heart of Barolo, this single cru Nebbiolo represents the pinnacle of Sandrone’s winemaking philosophy—fusing elegance and structure with site purity and age-worthy finesse.

Aleste is the evolution of the former Cannubi Boschis bottling, renamed to honour Luciano’s grandchildren, ALEssia and STEfano, while still honouring the vineyard that made it famous. The vineyard itself sits on a gentle south-facing slope with sandy clay and limestone soils, giving the wine its signature perfume, fine tannins, and a mineral backbone.

The grapes are hand harvested and undergo gentle maceration and fermentation using native yeasts, followed by ageing in large French oak barrels (500L tonneaux) for about 24 months. The oak is expertly integrated, allowing the Nebbiolo fruit and the voice of Cannubi Boschis to shine.

In the glass, Aleste opens with haunting aromas of rose petal, red cherry, balsamic herbs, tobacco, and crushed stone. The palate is full bodied and layered, with ripe red fruit, savoury spice, firm yet polished tannins, and a long, resonant finish that unfolds in waves. It’s a wine that is built to cellar but can be appreciated in its youth with a long decant.

Perfect with truffle risotto, aged meats, or braised beef, Aleste is Barolo at its most elegant and profound.