The 2016 Barolo Le Vigne is brilliant and explosive in the glass, with tons of brightness, energy and tension. Classically austere, the 2016 is going to take a few years to be at its best, and yet the wine is so arrestingly beautiful today. A mix of freshly cut and dried flowers, mint and pine add an intriguing upper register. In 2016, Le Vigne is finely chiseled and sculpted from start to finish. Bright saline notes add a closing kick of freshness.

The nose is overflowing with fruit, with everything from strawberry compote to raspberry tea to chutney and boysenberry spread. There’s marvelous intensity and concentration to the palate, which is full-bodied and very long. The tannins have a grainy, grippy feel and the rose-petal undertones sing out on the finish, atop complex suggestions of forest and undergrowth. Drink from 2026.

Luminous red. Clean, lovely and very silky flavours of red fruit, incense, bay leaf, plum, balsamic oils and camphor. More refined and less fleshy and sweet than the just as marvelous 2015 Barolo Le Vigne, but this is downright beautiful and fragrant on the exceptionally long, layered finale that features noteworthy harmonious acidity and, as usual, more steeliness than the Barolo (Cannubi Boschis) Aleste. This is a benchmark Barolo and one of the best le Vigne bottlings ever, so do whatever you can to get hold of a bottle. The vineyard sources for this vintage of Le Vigne are those that have generally been in place for the second decade of the twenty-first century: Baudana (2.5 hectares bought in 2009, first used for Le Vigne in the 2010 vintage and that confers power, but a rather monolithic one in my view); Villero (a one hectare holding, first used in the blend with the 2011 vintage conferring yes power, but also complexity, precision and depth); Vignane (0.75 hectares which confers levity and purity) and Merli (in the Novello township, Sandrone owns 0.75 hectares in the Merli portion of the Cerviano-Merli vineyard district. And yes, those two sections of the vineyard district do give very different wines, so it’s good to know where the specific Nebbiolo vines actually grow, because, if nothing else, the altitudes between the sections is very different. The Merli grapes add flesh and spice to the Le Vigne blend). Drinking window: 2026-2044. Ian D'Agata Terroirsense.com

Pretty cherry, strawberry and floral aromas and flavors are shaded by underbrush, iron and tobacco notes in this chewy red. A wall of tannins puts a strong grip on the finish, but give the fruit the benefit of the doubt. Best from 2024 through 2048. 265 cases imported. — BS

I absolutely adore this wine on every emotional and intellectual level. I can still taste it today, weeks after my first sampling. The Luciano Sandrone 2016 Barolo Le Vigne is a stirring and profound expression that pulls on your heartstrings. I found it to be unforgettable, quite literally, inspiring one of those celebrated "wow" moments that we wine lovers so desperately seek in bottle after bottle. Le Vigne is a clever blend of fruit from Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba (offering the power), Villero in Castiglione Falletto (shaping the precision), Vignane in Barolo (adding to the purity of the aromas) and Merli in Novello (that helps to flesh out the fruit). This intersection of various vineyards spanning the appellation creates a pyramid of perfection and beauty. The wine shows large construction, but that fruit weight is balanced against the vivid cherry, spice, aniseed and campfire ash that gently lift from the bouquet. ML