Tasting Notes: The Langhe Nebbiolo serves as a gutsy and intense introduction to the estate's style, often referred to as a Barolo in a "minor key." It is highly perfumed, offering complex aromas of rosehips, nutmeg, and blue flowers, followed by notes of pomegranate and green herbs. Despite its more approachable maceration and aging regimen, it maintains a serious backbone with a tense, mineral-driven finish and a lingering balsamic overtone. The 2023 vintage, in particular, displays a lovely aromatic brightness with hints of mint, tobacco, and cedar, proving that even the estate’s entry-level wines possess remarkable definition and focus.
Estate History: Located in the Perno hamlet of Monforte d’Alba, the estate's Nebbiolo vines thrive on steep, cooler eastern and western-facing slopes. These vineyards are inter-planted with wild herbs and cover crops, which many believe contribute to the distinct savory spice found in the wines. Elio Sandri adheres to an edict of "quality over quantity," reducing clusters to just one per shoot to concentrate the intensity of the fruit. In the cellar, the process remains decidedly minimalistic: fermentations occur with native yeasts in cement vats before the wines are transferred to neutral wooden botti of various sizes, with absolutely no new oak used at any stage of production.
