Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba is on the side of more structured examples of this bottling, yet shows potential for approachability with a few years of patience. Red cherry and raspberry perfumes mix with rose petal and licorice, framed by a hint of pepper. On the palate, it is mid-weight and nicely structured with red cherry and blackberry fruit. It shows great sweetness in the mouth, but is never cloying - it is a wine that speaks softly yet forcefully. The tannins are long, ripe and very structured but delicately framed, and its long, dry finish ends with a mineral note.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Luciano Sandrone 2019 Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore is a beautiful expression of this mighty red grape from the north of Italy. The Valmaggiore vineyard in Roero offers a spicy and accessible interpretation with plenty of wild cherry and blue flower. This vintage also offers pretty layer of crushed white peppercorn. You get terrific complexity and a very food-friendly ensemble at a competitive price.
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Wine Spectator
Cherry, strawberry, raspberry and earth flavors highlight this intense red. There is a beam of fruit backed by a spine of dense tannins. Nice, lingering finish. Best from 2023 through 2030.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
Even to this day, the Roero folklore lives on about witchcraft lurking behind its dramatic contours and obscure woods—but these stories only add to the region’s allure and charm. Actually today Roero winemakers are some of the most astute and motivated in Piedmont. While the white Arneis has attracted global attention for some time, now Roero Nebbiolo wines (elevated to the same DOCG status as Barolo and Barbaresco) are making a name for themselves. Keep an eye on any labeled with the vineyard, Valmaggiore, as Barolo producers have been investing here for years. If you’re looking for hidden gems, this is your region!