Le Vigne Barolo. Luciano Sandrone 2007

The 2004 Barolo Le Vigne is a phenomenal effort. Sweet, long and pure, it reveals an expansive core of perfumed ripe red fruit, flowers and spices. Despite its notable concentration it is made in a restrained style, showing remarkable elegance as well as harmony, with superb length and finessed tannins on the close. Le Vigne is made from the Ceretta, Vignane, Merli and Conterni vineyards. I have tasted the wines from these plots separately on many occasions. Curiously, I have never been particularly impressed by any of the wines on their own, yet when they are blended the results can be extraordinary, as is the case with the sublime 2004 Le Vigne. Anticipated maturity: 2008ndash;2019.

Sandronersquo;s dark ruby-colored 2001 Barolo Le Vigne presents a fantastic nose of flowers, minerals and crushed raspberries followed by generous amounts of very ripe red fruits, mint and eucalyptus notes with well-integrated oak and fine tannins. It is noticeably more structured than the 2000, with more balance, freshness and a longer finish. Traditional in design, but modern in execution, the 2001 Barolo Le Vigne presents tremendous harmony and elegance. Ideally a few years of cellaring are warranted although the wine is already drinking well today. Anticipated maturity: 2009ndash;2019.

Le Vigne Barolo offers beautiful clarity and purity in the form of black licorice, cherry cola, spice and black fruit. Therersquo;s a smoky or ashy note in the background and the wine feels balanced and integral on the tongue thanks to its tight tannins and gritty texture. Cellar for five plus years and drink with lamb cassoulet.

Bright, deep ruby-red. Captivating aromas of raspberry, black cherry, gunflint, sweet spices, menthol and rose petal. Lush and concentrated, with sweet dark cherry and bitter chocolate flavors perked up by ripe raspberry, minerals and spices. A classic, elegantly styled wine that finishes long and brisk, with substantial but fine tannins and a lovely late kick of flowers and minerals. Impeccably balanced and very impressive wine with great depth to its pure nebbiolo fruit aromas and flavors. I liked Sandonersquo;s 2001s immensely right from the first barrel tastings, and all subsequent tastings have only confirmed my extremely positive views of them. For my money, if the Cannubi Boschis is the single-vineyard Barolo of 2001, the Le Vigne may well be the best example of a blended, non-riserva Barolo from this vintage. Interestingly, in 2001 the lots of Le Vigne spent 9 to 12 days on their skins, compared to 5 to 8 in 1996 and 7 to 10 in 2003, and I wonder if that extra contact contributed additional complexity and depth.

Fully saturated ruby-red. Musky, ripe aromas of red cherry, blackberry and tobacco, with hints of truffle and tar. Enters the mouth full and dense, then turns juicy in the middle, with a suave touch to its rather ripe black plum, blackberry and tar flavors. Smoothly tannic on the long, impressive finish, with a lingering textural creaminess and persistent hints of camphor, sandalwood and mint. As good as this wine is, Irsquo;ve never been quite as impressed by it as some other experts: I find it a little too outsized and rich and lacking the laser-like purity of the greatest Barolo vintages. Still, as this is very much an infant, itrsquo;s likely to develop more nuance and refinement in bottle, at which point my score will look ungenerous. Donrsquo;t even think of opening a bottle for at least another eight years, and enjoy it for a couple decades after that.

Great stuff, combining traditional Barolo flavors mdash; dusty earth, leather, floral notes and cherries mdash; with modern touches, like the supple tannins and hints of hickory smoke. This is a big, powerful wine that manages to be burly without being clumsy, intellectually challenging and complex while still delivering lush fruit. Drinkable now, but better several years from now.

Medium red. Perfumed, expansive nose offers subtle red fruits, licorice, menthol and spices. Lush, sweet, full and mellow, with a dominant flavor of strawberry. Rich and seamless in the style of the vintagersquo;s best examples, without loss of definition or freshness. Finishes suave and sweet, with very fine tannins and lovely persistence.