Elio Sandri Barbera d'Alba Superiore 2023

Elio Sandri has quietly stewarded his family’s 7.5-hectare Cascina Disa in Monforte d’Alba’s Perno cru since 1981. His wines possess the simultaneously exuberant and austere qualities of Nebbiolo at its most resonant—the products of a grower who loves the variety effortlessly, understands it intimately, and wishes only to allow it to be its truest self. Cascina Disa is tucked into a valley just east of the village of Perno in Monforte d’Alba, well off the beaten path and flanked by dense patches of forest. The property remains very much a traditional cascina to this day, encompassing 7.5 contiguous hectares of grapevines in the Disa hamlet of the Monforte d’Alba cru Perno, with Elio and his family living and producing wine on-site. The vines, which range in age from 15 to 60 years old, occupy a variety of expositions throughout the hamlet: with small north- and west-facing plantings of Dolcetto and Barbera.