Luciano Sandrone 2019 Barolo Vite Talin 750ml

Vite Talin began with a vine that didn't look right. While working in the vineyards of Barolo, Luciano Sandrone noticed a plant of unusual character, its shoots carrying small, scraggly bunches with berries much smaller than usual and a deep, dark bluish-plum color. He identified this single clonal selection in the Le Coste vineyard in 1987, while he was working at Marchesi di Barolo, and the plant turned out to be a virused vine whose tiny berries give wines of extraordinary color and power, along with forbidding tannins. It took roughly 25 years of experiments, tests, and critical evaluation before Sandrone was ready to bottle it. The first Vite Talin, the 2013 vintage, only reached the market in 2019.

The 2019 is made from the Talin clone grown in three Barolo-commune vineyards, Le Coste, Drucà, and Rivassi. Sandrone describes a vintage in which a ten-day stretch of very high temperatures helped the fruit develop and kept disease from spreading. The wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts in a large open-topped wooden vat, matured two years in French oak tonneaux followed by a year in large casks, then held three more years in bottle. It debuts a full six years after harvest. Sandrone's own description: "dark, deep and layered," with the Talin clone's tiny berries giving "a wine of power and deep color, balanced by a different winemaking approach that helps soften this clone's forbidding tannins and structure."

The critical response has been exceptional. Wine Enthusiast awarded 98 Points, writing that "like an auteur film director, this Barolo creates something that transcends simple description," with aromas that "spiral up from the glass with extraordinary restraint and precision, suggesting dark cherries, fresh tobacco, and crushed flowers," and "massive structure" presented "with such finesse that you forget about the architecture and simply fall in love with the experience." Vinous's Antonio Galloni scored it 97 Points, calling it "a huge, dense wine" in which "inky dark fruit, licorice, graphite, mocha and spice stain the palate," "powerful and explosive, with huge tannins and a beautifully sustained finish." Kerin O'Keefe scored it 97, Wines Critic 97, and Gardini Notes 98. The Wine Advocate gave 95 Points, calling it "a fascinating expression that puts the emphasis on grape instead of terroir" and noting a release of just 2,500 bottles. Wine Spectator gave 95, finding a red that "reveals the austerity of the vintage, with its linear profile and daunting tannins setting the stage for plum, black cherry, graphite and tar flavors," best from 2028 through 2048. James Suckling gave 94, calling it "a restrained Barolo that's dark and spicy, with aromas of dried flowers, meat and dried cherries," with "a huge structure and power that finds balance at the end." This is a rare, collectible Barolo with a story you can't get from any other bottle on the shelf.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Luciano Sandrone 2019 Barolo Vite Talin is produced by Luciano Sandrone, a three-generation family winery in Barolo, Piedmont, Italy. The wine is 100% Nebbiolo from the Talin clone, a single clonal selection Luciano identified in the Le Coste vineyard in 1987, sourced in 2019 from the Barolo-commune vineyards Le Coste, Drucà, and Rivassi.

It is fermented with indigenous yeasts in a large open-topped wooden vat, matured two years in French oak tonneaux and a year in large casks, then aged three years in bottle before release, six years after harvest. Production is approximately 2,500 bottles. Bottled at approximately 15% ABV, 750ml.

Critics Reviews

Wine Enthusiast — 98 Points (December 2025):
"Like an auteur film director, this Barolo creates something that transcends simple description. The aromas spiral up from the glass with extraordinary restraint and precision, suggesting dark cherries, fresh tobacco, and crushed flowers. Each sip reveals new complexities, building slowly but inexorably toward something profound. There's massive structure here, but it's presented with such finesse that you forget about the architecture and simply fall in love with the experience."

Kerin O'Keefe — 97 Points

Antonio Galloni, Vinous — 97 Points (January 2025):
"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."

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate — 95 Points:
"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 tannins are tightly coiled and aggressive... This is a 2,500-bottle release."

Wine Spectator — 95 Points:
"This red reveals the austerity of the vintage, with its linear profile and daunting tannins setting the stage for plum, black cherry, graphite and tar flavors. Dense and with a firm edge, this picks up a hint of chocolate on the finish. Best from 2028 through 2048."

James Suckling — 94 Points:
"A restrained Barolo that's dark and spicy, with aromas of dried flowers, meat and dried cherries. It has a huge structure and power that finds balance at the end."

Luciano Sandrone (official tasting note):
"Dark, deep and layered, the 2019 Vite Talin perfectly exhibits the particularities of this clone... On the nose, the wine shows meaty deep black fruit, with sottobosco notes. The extra year of aging in large barrels gives subtle notes of oak that gives form to the structure. The finish is long and ripe, with sweet tannins and mineral notes."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Dark, deep, and layered. Meaty black fruit and forest-floor notes lead, with dark cherry, dried flowers, fresh tobacco, and crushed flowers, alongside subtle oak.

Palate
Dense and super-concentrated, with inky dark fruit, licorice, graphite, mocha, and spice staining the palate, framed by huge, firm tannins.

Finish
Long and ripe, closing with sweet tannin and mineral notes, with a hint of chocolate. Built for long cellaring, best from 2028 through 2048.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Braised or roasted lamb
• Braised red meat
• Truffle-based dishes
• Aged, hard cheeses