Tasting notes

The 2019 Aleste Barolo shows the character of the favored site on the Cannubi hill – in a cooler year like 2019, it exhibits more generosity and expansiveness than would normally be expected.

The warm, low-lying Cannubi site gave this young wine heft and flesh, while still retaining the austerity and ageability that result in cooler years.

The nose is still closed but shows rose and violet notes, with good dark fruits and spice notes.

On the palate, the wine is still in a bit of a rough stage, but a few years of patience will reward the collector with a wine of uncommon grace and power, the hallmarks of the Cannubi hill. Dark berries, licorice and spices come out on the palate, with tarry roses and mineral notes.

The 2019 vintage gave us “modern classics” and the 2019 Aleste wears this badge proudly.

Ratings for the vintage 2019
Falstaff 98 Punkte 
Gardini Notes 99 points 
Kerin O'Keefe 98 points
James Suckling 95 points 
Vinous 97 points 
VITAE 4 viti
Wine Advocate 97 points 
Wine Enthusiast 97 points
Wine Spectator 96 points 

Download wine description

Evolution of the vintage 2019

A wet late winter and early spring replenished the water tables. Budbreak was late March in the normal timeframe. Heat arrived after the flowering in late June for 10 days, which helped with the berry set.

The rest of the vegetative cycle was cooler than normal except for another 10 days of moderate heat just before the veraison. Intermittent rains throughout the summer refreshed the plants and ground cover vegetation.

A water bomb on 5 September brought hail to some parts of the Barolo and Barbaresco areas, luckily, none of the Sandrone vineyards were affected, though the hail passed about 500 meters from the Baudana vineyard sites.

From 6 September on conditions were perfect thru the rest of the harvest period, with warm, dry days and cool, refreshing nights.

The grape variety Nebbiolo, which by its nature is very resistant and able to thrive even in extreme weather, has benefitted from the climatic conditions of the season. The result is a perfect balance of fruit and acidity. 

Harvest took place on October 12th.