Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva:
[kah-zeh bahs-seh jahn-f(l)rahn-ko sol-deh-(l)rah]
Gianfranco Soldera is regarded by many as the most accomplished
craftsman of Brunello—a fanatical, uncompromising perfectionist
whose highly regimented approach and complementary ideals find
their consummate expression in his Brunello Riserva. Produced
in minute quantities in vintages of exceptional caliber, it is
one of Montalcino’s most accomplished expressions of classic
Brunello.
Terroir is the word at Soldera’s Case Basse estate. He
set out to find a great piece of land—scouring Piemonte,
the Veneto, and Toscana—and settled at an abandoned, decrepit
Montalcino farmhouse in 1972, planting his minute plots, Case
Basse (1.9 hectares) and Intistieti (4.6), over a two-year period.
He chose to plant Sangiovese exclusively, believing that is was
the only grape that possessed a genuine synergy with the land.
The Riserva derives from the crus of Case Basse and Institieti,
which are situated at an altitude of 300 meters and feature soils
of gravel and schist mixed with clay and sand. A Soldera wine
can be difficult to translate in words, being prone to dramatic
changes in intervals of mere seconds. Perhaps Soldera captured
it best when he asked Sergio, “Can’t you taste the
Case Basse in my wines?” But that taste, of course, is elicited
and carefully transmitted through an organic methodology and precise
viticultural and vinification techniques, including winter pruning,
an exacting green harvest, hand cultivation of the vines, and
a meticulous grape selection process. The rigorous regimen continues
in the cellar, where the Riserva receives a lengthy maceration
averaging between 14 and 25 days. Large Slavonian oak casks—presiding
over a grotto-like space (which enables uninhibited circulation
of the air)—contain the wine for a period of five to six
years.
For several years, many failed to realize a basic tenet of Soldera’s—“A
great wine is long lived: it must improve, at least in the first
twenty years, and give different sensations as time passes.” They
wantonly cut it off upon release, finding it prohibitively austere.
Not that Gianfranco Soldera cared at all, believing that there
are no more than “50 really great wines in the world,” with
his, of course, being one of them. In fact, he doesn’t want
his wine to be drunk by the masses, crafting it with the intent
of appealing only to the “right people.”
Upon release, a Soldera Brunello Riserva characteristically exhibits
a dark ruby color accented by purple hues. It is concentrated
on the nose, emphasizing berry fruit and slight hints of tobacco
and tar. The palate is formidably structured, marked by prodigious
tannins that do not imply, but rather, assure a maturation of
considerable length. It normally begins to express its complex
persona only a decade into its development.
The elegant Soldera label depicts a unique rendering of a dolphin—an
animal that the god of wine, Dionysus, held in high esteem.
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Buy Soldera Brunello
Wine: Brunello di Montalcino Producer: Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera
Varietal(s): Sangiovese Grosso
Region: Toscana
Province: Siena
Commune: Montalcino
Vineyard(s): Intistieti,
Case Basse
Altitude: 300 meters
Classification: Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Case Production: 750 cases (in select vintages)
More Landmark Wines:
Biondi-Santi Brunello Ris.
Il Poggione Brunello
Salvioni Brunello Cerbaiola
Vintages
2001
Brunello Riserva
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