Luciano Sandrone

Luciano Sandrone (d. 2023) came from a family of carpenters in La Morra. After military service he joined the Marchesi di Barolo winery, where he became cellar master, and he continued to work there until 1990. Having inherited no land or vineyards from his family, he bought his first vineyard plot in Cannubi Boschis in 1977, and in 1978, with his wife Mariuccia at his side, he decided to dedicate his life to making his own wine. The first wines were made in the family's home garage. At Vinitaly in 1981 an American wine buyer purchased all 1,500 bottles of the 1978. In 1985 Luciano adopted a label with the name Sandrone in gold letters on a cobalt blue background, since used for all his labels. The first Valmaggiore was bottled in 1994, and in 1999 the family completed a new winery, built in one year on the valley floor facing the Cannubi Boschis vineyard. In 2021 the family bought Le Coste di Monforte, a vineyard whose winemaking and maturation it had taken care of for the owner since 2000. The company is SANDRONE LUCIANO ssa, at Via Pugnane 4 in Barolo.

• 1977: first vineyard plot bought in Cannubi Boschis; 1978: Luciano and Mariuccia Sandrone set out to make their own wine, first in the family's home garage.
• 1985: first Cannubi Boschis bottling and the gold-on-cobalt-blue Sandrone label.
• 1994: first Valmaggiore bottling; 1999: new winery completed facing Cannubi Boschis.
• 2021: purchase of the Le Coste di Monforte vineyard in Monforte d'Alba.

Luciano Sandrone (d. 2023) set out to make his own wine in 1978 with his wife Mariuccia at his side. His brother Luca joined in 1992 to manage the vineyards. As of January 2023, his daughter Barbara managed the commercial aspects of the business, the business was set to continue under the leadership of Luca and Barbara, and Luciano's grandchild Alessia had joined Luca in the cellar. Barbara Sandrone is the winery's press contact.

• Luca Sandrone: joined in 1992 to manage the vineyards.
• Barbara Sandrone: commercial management (as of January 2023) and the winery's press contact.
• As of January 2023, Alessia, one of the two grandchildren for whom Aleste is named, had joined Luca in the cellar.

The family works 27 hectares between Langa and Roero. Its Nebbiolo sites for Barolo are Cannubi Boschis and Vignane in Barolo, Merli in Novello, Villero in Castiglione Falletto and Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba, together with Le Coste di Monforte in Monforte d'Alba, bought in 2021. Cannubi Boschis is part of the Cannubi hill, which stretches northwards from the village of Barolo, and its soil is marl and moderately compact. Le Coste di Monforte measures 1.92 hectares, faces south-southeast and, at 410 meters above sea level, is the highest of the family's vineyards. In Roero, the Valmaggiore vineyard in Vezza d'Alba, on the left bank of the Tanaro, is a steep, south-facing amphitheater with sandy soils, discovered by the family at the beginning of the 1990s and cultivated by hand. Barbera comes from Cascina Pe Mol in Monforte d'Alba and from Ravera and Rocche di San Nicola in Novello. Dolcetto comes from eleven parcels in Monforte d'Alba (Cascina Pe Mol and Castelletto), Novello (Ravera and Rocche di San Nicola) and Barolo (Rivassi), on limestone-rich white soils at altitudes often exceeding 350 to 400 meters.

• 27 hectares between Langa and Roero.
• Barolo sites: Cannubi Boschis and Vignane (Barolo), Merli (Novello), Villero (Castiglione Falletto), Baudana (Serralunga d'Alba) and Le Coste di Monforte (Monforte d'Alba).
• Le Coste di Monforte: 1.92 hectares, south-southeast facing, 410 meters, the family's highest vineyard.
• Valmaggiore, Vezza d'Alba (Roero): a steep, south-facing amphitheater on sandy soils, worked by hand.

The range comprises six red wines from three varieties. Aleste is the Barolo from Cannubi Boschis: labelled Cannubi Boschis from its first vintage in 1985 and Aleste from the 2013 vintage, its name combines those of Luciano's grandchildren Alessia and Stefano. Barolo Le Vigne, first made in 1990, follows the Langhe tradition of blending Nebbiolo from several vineyards: Vignane and Merli were the first sites, Baudana joined in 2010, Villero in 2011 and Le Coste di Monforte in 2019, and each vineyard is harvested, vinified and matured separately before the final blend. Barolo Vite Talin comes from a single Nebbiolo vine with small, scraggly bunches and much smaller than usual, deep bluish berries that Luciano noticed in 1987 in a vineyard in Le Coste di Barolo rented from an old grower, Natale, nicknamed Talin. The vine was reproduced by field grafting from the end of the 1980s to the early 1990s, Luciano worked with the ampelographer Anna Schneider on the research, and DNA analysis in 2017 determined that it was Nebbiolo. 'Vite' is the Italian word for vine, and 'Talin' honours the vineyard's owner. The 2013, the first vintage, was released in 2019 after six years, in a run of 1,800 bottles. Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d'Alba (first vintage 1994) comes from the Roero vineyard of that name, and the Barbera d'Alba and Dolcetto d'Alba are assembled from separately vinified parcels.

• Aleste (Barolo DOCG): Cannubi Boschis, labelled Cannubi Boschis from the 1985 first vintage and Aleste from 2013.
• Le Vigne (Barolo DOCG): first vintage 1990; five vineyards since the 2019 vintage.
• Vite Talin (Barolo DOCG): from a single Nebbiolo vine found in 1987; first vintage 2013, released in 2019.
• Valmaggiore (Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC, first vintage 1994), Barbera d'Alba DOC and Dolcetto d'Alba DOC.

Aleste, Le Vigne and Valmaggiore are 100% Nebbiolo, fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, macerated and fermented in open steel tanks, and taken through malolactic fermentation and maturation in 500-liter French oak. Aleste and Le Vigne spend 18 months in bottle before release, Valmaggiore 9 months. Vite Talin is completely destemmed, given a warm pre-fermentation maceration under anaerobic conditions and fermented with indigenous yeasts in 50 hl upright wooden casks; it then spends two years in 500-liter French oak tonneaux, over 50% of them new, and one year in large oval French oak casks, and is held in bottle for three more years, making its debut six years after the vintage. The Barbera d'Alba is matured for 15 months in wooden barrels, a good part of them new, followed by 9 months of bottle ageing. The Dolcetto d'Alba goes through malolactic fermentation and maturation in steel tanks and has 3 months of bottle ageing. Since 2004, under the sibi et paucis project, a small portion of the Cannubi Boschis Barolo, Le Vigne and Valmaggiore has been held back in a specially constructed cellar and released 10 years after the vintage for the two Barolos and 6 years for Valmaggiore, with a seal on the label.

• Nebbiolo wines: indigenous yeasts, open steel tanks, malolactic fermentation and maturation in 500-liter French oak.
• Bottle time before release: 18 months for Aleste and Le Vigne, 9 months for Valmaggiore.
• Vite Talin: 50 hl upright wooden casks, two years in tonneaux (over 50% new), one year in large casks, three years in bottle.
• sibi et paucis (since 2004): late releases at 10 years for the Barolos and 6 years for Valmaggiore.

The family sets out its aim in its own words: 'We love intense, yet fragrant and harmonic wines, which can converse on equal terms with those who love them, not from a position of dominance.' Wine Spectator counted Luciano Sandrone among the so-called Barolo Boys, the young producers grouped around importer Marco de Grazia with Elio Altare, Domenico Clerico, Giorgio Rivetti and Enrico Scavino, adding that he did not opt for rotary fermenters and small barriques. De Grazia, who worked with him for roughly 25 years, told the magazine: 'His wines always expressed power and tenderness.'

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://sandroneluciano.com/en/web/famiglia.php?lev1=2, https://sandroneluciano.com/en/web/terra/?lev1=3, https://sandroneluciano.com/en/web/filosofia.php?lev1=4, https://sandroneluciano.com/en/web/collezione/?lev1=5, https://sandroneluciano.com/en/web/sibi-et-paucis.php?lev1=6, https://sandroneluciano.com/en/web/stampa/?lev1=7, https://sandroneluciano.com/en/web/collezione/barolo-aleste/?lev1=5&coll=5a, https://sandroneluciano.com/en/web/collezione/barolo-le-vigne/?lev1=5&coll=5b, https://sandroneluciano.com/en/web/collezione/valmaggiore/?lev1=5&coll=5c, https://sandroneluciano.com/en/web/collezione/barbera/?lev1=5&coll=5d, https://sandroneluciano.com/en/web/collezione/dolcetto/?lev1=5&coll=5e, https://sandroneluciano.com/en/web/collezione/vite-talin-barolo/?lev1=5&coll=vite. Secondary source: Wine Spectator (Robert Camuto, 19 February 2020), https://www.winespectator.com/articles/luciano-sandrone-new-super-barolo. Last verified 2026-10-19. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.