Vintus

Cannubi Boschis, Barolo

• 2008 Vintage

  •  "Good bright ruby-red.  Deeper but less forthcoming on the nose than Le Vigne, hinting at black cherry, menthol and flowers.  Then broarder and deeper on the palate, conveying a more classically dry impression than the wonderfully sweet, round 2007.  As creamy as this is, it's cominated today by its impression of energy and medicinal black cherry reserve.  Most impressive right now on the tightly coiled, rising, electric finish, which unfurls spectaculary as the wine sits in the glass.  A great expression of Cannubi terrior."  95(+?) Points International Wine Cellar

• 2007 Vintage

  • "The 2007 Barolo Cannubi Boschis dazzles from start to finish. It shows marvelous delineation and freshness in its voluptuous, harmonious fruit, with no hard edges and an expansive, textured personality that conquers both the palate and intellect. Here, too, the oak is very well integrated, while the wine's balance and overall sense of harmony are nothing short of stunning. This is one of the very finest vintages of Cannubi Boschis. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2032.
    
    Luciano Sandrone's wines have never been more elegant than they are today. The French oak is increasingly well balanced, and the at times excessive heaviness of some prior vintages is long gone. Simply put, Luciano Sandrone is at the top of his game. Never one to be satisfied, this year Sandrone showed me a number of experimental wines, including a barrel sample of 2009 Cannubi Boschis vinified with 100% stems, an approach that is virtually unheard of in Piedmont. Although this wine will ultimately be blended into the Cannubi Boschis, the all-stems Barolo was huge, explosive and totally compelling. Sandrone fans have much to look forward to, as the 2008s and 2009s appear quite promising at this admittedly early stage. As for the 2007s, they are off the charts." 97 Points Wine Advocate

  •  "Good bright, deep red.  Sexy, deep nose offers cherry, smoke, dried rose and minerals.  Plump, round, seamless and deep, with compelling sweetness to the cherry, rasberry, spice and mocha flavors.  For all its sweetness, this terrific Barolo is remarkably penetrating too.  The extremely long, palate-staining finish features big but sweet tannins that softened with time in the glass.  This Sandrone bottling is as reliably great as a Bordeaux first growth."  95 Points International Wine Cellar

• 2006 Vintage

  The alternation of hot and cold periods characterised 2006, during the whole vegetative cycle. Summery heatwaves in May and June, with a peak of 38°C in July, but fortunately things changed from August onwards. August 2006 was the coldest of the last 5 years, with marked differences between diurnal and nocturnal temperatures and, thankfully, some rainfall. Rain at the very beginning of September risked jeopardising the health of the grape harvest, but then the weather improved and the grapes ripened perfectly, providing a healthy, excellent quality harvest.

  • "The 2006 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is seductive, round and sweet in its ripe dark fruit. The wine continues to gain weight in the glass, showing a level of density that nearly manages to cover the tannins. Floral notes add lift on the finish. This is a powerful, linear Cannubi Boschis with tons of energy and muscle, but it will require quite a bit of patience." 97 Points Wine Advocate

• 2005 Vintage

  The climatic trend of 2005 was rather particular, but on the whole very good. The winter was within the norm as far as temperatures were concerned, but there was a marked lack of precipitation, especially snow. 

   

  We had to wait for the April rains to build up satisfactory water reserves and May and June were so hot as to cause fears that the torrid summer of 2003 would be repeated. Fortunately, thanks to several drops in temperature and the arrival of storms, some of which were violent, July and August mitigated a summer which had started off extremely hot. A few days of rain during the first week of September caused us to worry a little, but our fears turned out to be groundless as the fine weather that followed stayed with us until the end of the grape harvest, apart from the rainfall between the 3rd and 7th of October, which posed a few risks. In conclusion, thanks in part to meticulous thinning and leaf removal, the 2005 harvest gave us excellent quality grapes. 

   

  To be precise, the grapes were harvested on the 29th and 30th of September and the fruit was perfectly healthy. The vinification operations were characterised by 9-10 days of maceration and rather long alcoholic fermentation (25 days). 

   

  The wine was subsequently transferred into 500-litre casks made of French oak, a third of which new. Malolactic fermentation took place here in November and December. The first racking operation was carried out during the following summer, then the wine continued to mature in wood until January 2008, when it was bottled. 

   

  9,500 bottles, 700 magnums and 90 double magnums were produced.   The wine continued ageing in our cellars for a further 18 months. 

   

  2005 can be described as a classic Barolo, in which the grape variety expresses all its characteristics. The tempting perfume with just a slight woody note contains just the right level of maturity, confirmed in the mouth: potency and extractive richness are perfectly balanced, while finesse and elegance are the qualities that offer a detailed distinction of our cru. 

  • "Offers blueberry aromas, with sweet tobacco and mahogany. Full-bodied, rich and powerful, with plum pudding and milk chocolate flavors. This is very special. The Sandrones are genius with Cannubi." 96 Points Wine Spectator

  • "Sandrone’s 2005 Barolo Cannubi Boschis offers up pretty notes of mint, flowers, spices and dark red berries, with sweet notes of French oak that linger on the finish. This is a decidedly slender Cannubi Boschis that lacks some of the sheer pedigree and explosiveness of the best vintages. The tannins need some time to soften, but this is a wine that has continued to grow in bottle. It could very well turn out to be one of the vintage’s surprises. In 2005 the harvest took place at the end of September and the wine was aged in 500-liter barrels (one-third new)." 95 Points Wine Advocate

  • "Deep red. More complex aromas of black raspberry, chocolate, smoke and tobacco. Lusher and deeper than Le Vigne, with a compelling sweetness to the fruit-driven flavors of black raspberry, currant and plum. The slowly mounting, juicy finish features big but very fine tannins and lovely lift. Sandrone picked Cannubi (he owns 2.7 hectares here) in three passes over a ten-day period." 95 Points International Wine Cellar

     

• 2004 Vintage

  The precipitation in autumn 2003 and at the beginning of 2004 regenerated water reserves, which had been reduced the previous hot and dry year.  Abu ndant rainfall in spring and below average temperatures delayed budding.  Subsequently mild temperatures allowed for balanced vegetative development and, at the end of August, the harvest looked set to be 8-10 days earlier than usual. 

   

  The warm sunny weather during September and much of October meant that grapes ripened perfectly: healthy with analytical parameters that far exceeded every expectation.

   

  Harvest was from October 2nd to the 10th.  The maceration was 8 to 9 days in stainless steel, followed by 25 days alcoholic fermentation.  The Malolactic lasted until the end of 2004, taking place in French Liter French oak barrels.  Maturation in those barrels occurred for 24 months thereafter, and the wine then aged in bottle for a further 18 months. 

   

  9,500 bottles, 700 magnums and 90 double magnums were produced.

  • "I was blown away by the breathtaking purity and definition of Sandrone’s 2004 Barolo Cannubi Boschis. A translucent dark ruby, this weightless yet sumptuous Barolo bursts from the glass with layers of dark ripe fruit that coat the palate with stunning grace and elegance. As it sits in the glass notes of licorice, tar and sweet toasted oak gradually emerge to complete this magnificent wine. I tasted this along with the 2001, which has shut down considerably since I last tasted it earlier this year. Today the 2004 is the more elegant wine although the 2001 looks to be more powerful and perhaps longer-lived. My rating of the 2001 (95) appears to have been conservative by about 2 points. One of the highlights of the vintage, Sandrone’s 2004 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is not to be missed. Luciano Sandrone has been ecstatic about the quality of his 2004s since I first tasted the wines with him in the winter of that year. While 2004 is a superb vintage overall, Sandrone’s wines stand out, most notably for their extraordinary elegance." 98 Points Wine Advocate

  • "Aromas of rose petal and ripe fruit, with plum undertones. Full-bodied, with wonderful, focused ripe fruit and a silky, refined finish. The texture is polished and refined. This is classy." 95 Points Wine Spectator

  • "Good deep ruby-red. Compellingly sexy aromas of raspberry, coffee and mocha. Lush and silky on entry, then wonderfully bright and delineated in the middle palate, with very fresh red and black fruit flavors of outstanding richness. Mounts impressively on the back end, finishing classically dry and with a real whiplash of juicy fruit flavors. A wine like this would make a terrific late release; by then, it may well merit an even higher score." 95 Points Stephen Tanzer

• 2003 Vintage

  • "Sandrone’s 2003 Barolo Cannubi Boschis reveals smoke, tar, licorice and dark plums with superb balance and a vibrant, engaging personality. Made in a sweeter, richer style than Le Vigne, its notable depth and well-integrated tannins make it one of the vintage’s successes. Among the finest in this vintage." 92 Points Wine Advocate