March
29, 2008
New Montalcino
Marvels: Brunello, Rosso,& Super-Tuscan
In This Issue
A Note from Sergio
The following is an excerpt from the "Montalcino" chapter
of the soon-to-be-released Passion on the Vine: A Memoir
of Food, Wine, and Family in the Heart of Italy.
• • •
“No spitting in my cellar,” Franco Soldera
directed.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because wine is good and if you don’t like it, I won’t let
you drink it,” he said.
Gianfranco Soldera seemed like your average retiree—a
little grumpy and very hunched. He was short, with a substantial
nose and belly, tufts of white hair around his ears, a
mustache, and a pair of enormously messy gray eyebrows
that gave him a consistently sympathetic expression. I
nodded, but I hadn’t
needed him to tell me his rule: nobody with a heart would
spit out Soldera’s
wine. Other wines out of the barrel assaulted your mouth
and stripped your tongue; they looked like murky grapefruit
juice and tasted like sulfur, and the first time I’d
ever done a barrel tasting I’d wanted to quit the
business. But Soldera’s wine, at only three months
old, was sweet, fresh, and ruby red.
I sniffed again. Soldera did the same. He began to nod
intermittently. His wine was so layered and alive that
it was impossible to smell the same thing twice. It had
a hypnotic effect. We went silent.
“Perché è così,” Soldera said every once in
a while. Because it’s like that.
We tasted his 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 Brunellos. When he got lost in his wine,
a wide smile took him over, and he looked as if he was about to laugh.
“Perché è così,” he said. “Perché è così.”
This week I’m delighted to take an excerpt of my upcoming book, Passion
on the Vine, to highlight the wines of Gianfranco Soldera. Widely considered
the single best producer of Brunello di Montalcino, and in my opinion the best
in the world, this former industrial insurance broker has an almost preternatural
ability to coax exceptional wines from his small, manually cultivated vineyards.
The wines from Soldera’s Case Basse are not for the masses—and not
merely because their production is limited by Soldera’s methodology. These
wines have been made for people who understand their complexity; people who can
appreciate their subtle, mercurial layers; and people who can appreciate how
a wine can be like music, like a story, like a great love. These are deeply personal
wines made by a man who invests himself in each and every spectacular bottle.
Why, you might ask? “Perché è così,” because
it’s like that.
My Best,
Sergio
For more accounts of Italian wine, food and life reserve my new book:
Passion
On The Vine: a Memoir of Food, Wine, and Family in the Heart of Italy
Case Basse di Soldera
Montalcino's Finest Expression
“I could make 60,000 bottles a year—instead I make 1,250 cases
[just 750 cases of Riserva in select vintages]. But I put my money on absolute
quality. Wine is like a diamond: if it’s cut badly you will lose
its value,” says winemaker—and master—Gianfranco Soldera.
Case Basse di Soldera 2001 Brunello Riserva…$269.92
**
Ironically, the pinnacle expression from the 2001 vintage is also the year's
most misunderstood. While one wine publication rated it as the best of the vintage,
positioning it as the top-scoring Brunello with 96 points, another effectively
deemed it the worst, according it the lowest score of the profiled Brunellos—78.
In the realm of the first rating, it was described as “monumental…offer[ing]
an array of crushed flowers, spices, and deeply layered dark red fruit.” In
the other dimension, it was rendered akin to “day-old tea” and found
to be of a “volatile” nature.
In IWM’s world, Gianfranco Soldera’s Brunello Riserva emerged as
the vintage’s most definitive and accomplished expression—the very
soul of Brunello. We’re not surprised at the extreme discrepancy related
above; it’s simply a consummate case of Why
Points Fail. Soldera has long been misunderstood, and to be honest about
it, that’s the way he likes it. Many fail 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.” Many people wantonly cut
it off upon release, finding it prohibitively austere. Not that Soldera cares
at all; he believes 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, choosing to craft it with the intent
of appealing only to sympathetic palates.
IWM is proud to have been among those people—the ones who have resolutely
stood by Soldera, even in challenging vintages like 2002. And there’s been
no reason not to—least of all in an off vintage, which, in the realm of
a fanatical craftsman, virtually assures a brilliant performance. It’s
turned out to be a diamond in the rough, revealing its grand nature, per Soldera
style, only in its own time. The 2001 was not a cut above from the start, but
a cut above all the rest—a layered, bespoke beauty that both foretells
and holds back the ravishing beauty that a decade of cellar rest will serve to
evoke. Every legendary vintage exemplifies its ineffable achievement—a
seemingly preordained design that is actually sheer organic wonder. The 2001
vintage chose Soldera as its perfect conduit.
Also Available:
Case
Basse di Soldera 1990 Brunello di Montalcino…$625.00
Case Basse di Soldera 1990 Brunello Riserva Intistieti…$1162.50
Case Basse di Soldera 1997 Brunello Riserva…$405.00**
**Indicates prearrival
You may also want to consider:
Betwixt
Nature and Passion: Montalcino and Gianfranco Soldera's Brunello
(see below for details)
A Rosso That Drinks and Ages Like
a Brunello
 Biondi-Santi
2004 Rosso di Montalcino
Biondi-Santi
2004 Rosso di Montalcino…$63.69**
Some Rosso di Montalcinos just don’t know their place, and here’s
yet another occasion wherein an upstart Rosso di Montalcino dares to outperform
many wines that inhabit the superior Brunello designation (in the past, Baricci
and Poggio di Sotto have offered examples of this phenomenon). Aged for a shorter
period than Brunellos and typically derived from younger vines, Rosso di Montalcinos
are supposed to be the modest, casual type, inviting immediate approachability
in a fairly light and simple style, but a few just don’t see themselves
quite like that. They don’t want to be known as the everyday, in-the-meantime,
go-to-wine—the one you reach for as you wait for those Brunellos to come
around. Nor do they want to serve as the friendly preview of the vintage in Montalcino—the
opening act that you bide your time with until the main event.
It’s only to be expected, perhaps, that the patriarch of Brunello—Biondi-Santi—produces
a Rosso di Montalcino that steadfastly rejects the textbook Rosso paradigm, choosing
to cast itself firmly in the character of a Brunello. And this is no understudy.
Divesting itself of all connection to the Rosso di Montalcino DOC, Biondi-Santi’s
Rosso defies you to call out its legal credentials. It gives a commanding performance
as Montalcino’s leading wine in its wildly profuse aromatics, taut structure,
and sophisticated interpretation of Sangiovese Grosso, the clone that Ferruccio
Biondi-Santi made Montalcino’s own. It’s priced accordingly, of course—but,
to its way of thinking, it’s simply a tremendous value from the land of
Brunello.
Also Available:
Biondi-Santi
1982 Brunello Riserva…$579.00
Biondi-Santi 1990 Brunello di Montalcino…$323.90
Biondi-Santi 2001 Brunello di Montalcino…$158.00
Biondi-Santi 2001 Brunello Riserva…$498.00
**Indicates prearrival
A New Montalcino Super-Tuscan
 Il
Palazzone Debut: Lorenzo e Isabelle
Il
Palazzone 2005 Lorenzo e Isabelle…$71.37
Cabernet Franc rarely gets the lead in a Super-Tuscan blend, but Il Palazzone’s
Dick Parsons gave it a shot in this debut bottling, Lorenzo & Isabelle.
Problem is, Parsons, an admitted Franc-ophile, intended L & I to be
a one-time-only thing. We can only hope that Franc’s got a future at
Il Palazzone—with a limited case production of 565, L & I is going
to have a very limited run….
When Parsons acquired the estate of Il Palazzone in 2001, he wasn’t so
much investing in a business as he was indulging a passion for his favorite wine—Brunello.
For the past few vintages, he’s been able to drink Brunellos crafted in
the manner that suits his exacting style: elegant, complex, and indelibly marked
by terroir. Still, as an ardent lover of all wines Italian (and, we might add,
a firm believer in their qualitative supremacy over French wines), he wasn’t
content to be a one-wine operation. Thus, this devotee of Sassicaia and Solaia
chose to gratify another personal interest, commissioning the creation of a Cab
Franc–based Super-Tuscan. This highly personal expression was a bold, provocative
choice, because Montalcino tends to hold itself apart from that scene. That said,
Parsons has a pretty substantive precedent in the definitive Montalcino Super-Tuscan,
Solengo.
Named for Parsons’ parents, Lorenzo & Isabelle is comprised of Cabernet
Franc (59%), Sangiovese (39%), and Petit Verdot (2%), the last of which, according
to Parsons, is “for the nose.” While designed for earlier approachability
than the estate’s Brunello (the average elevation of the relevant vineyard
sources, 250 meters above sea level, is lower than that pertaining to the Brunello),
L & I’s traditional ageing regimen suggests a significant aging potential
as well: following a lengthy period of maceration, L & I is aged in 250-hectoliter
barrels for a period of 16 months; prior to release, it receives six months’ refinement
in bottle. Like Argiano’s Solengo, L & I’s constituents fashion
an intriguing persona, with that Petit Verdot making its presence known in the
wine’s deep purple hues and tannic grip. On the palate,
dark fruits are complemented by firm tannins (the latter of which signify not
only the work of Petit Verdot but a moderate degree of oak aging), rendering
this wine a suitable candidate for further aging and maturity.
Parsons’ motto “We drink all we can and sell the rest” could,
perhaps, be modified somewhat, for the “rest” is never enough….
Also Available:
Il
Palazzone 1998 Brunello di Montalcino…$84.15
Il
Palazzone 1999 Brunello di Montalcino…$95.70
Il
Palazzone 2000 Brunello di Montalcino…$95.70
Il
Palazzone 2001 Brunello di Montalcino…$255.75 (1.5L)
Il Palazzone 2001 Brunello di Montalcino…$404.25 (3.0L)
Il
Palazzone 2002 Brunello di Montalcino…$77.55
Il
Palazzone 2001 Brunello Riserva…$140.25
Il
Palazzone 2001 Brunello Riserva…$363.00 (1.5L)
Brunello Riserva
Sampler
 As
we indicated above, the 2001 Montalcino vintage is one of historic import—a
modern classic that afforded the ideal context for the production of some legendary
wines. Its impeccable quality is demonstratively attested to through the labels
that bear the riserva designation. While some fashion a riserva irrespective
of the vintage’s nature, the most discriminating reserve this effort
for exceptional vintages—those that truly enable the concept of a riserva
to be realized. The elite contingent below, which features some of Montalcino’s
most classically oriented producers, honors the vintage’s expressiveness
and structure—finding that rare place betwixt nature and passion.
2001
Brunello Riserva Sampler (includes one of each of the following):
Il
Palazzone 2001 Brunello Riserva …$140.25
Camigliano
2001 Brunello Riserva Gualto …$84.10
Canalicchio
di Sopra 2001 Brunello Riserva…$83.40
Capanna
2001 Brunello Riserva…$81.19
Casisano-
Colombaio 2001 Brunello Riserva…$93.76
Talenti
2001 Brunello Riserva ‘Vigna Paretaio’…$82.50
2001
Brunello Riserva Sampler…$565.20†
† Free Delivery in Manhattan
Autographed Soldera Book
Betwixt
Nature and Passion:
Montalcino and Gianfranco Soldera’s Brunello…$50.00
Gianfranco Soldera's Brunellos are among the world’s most sought-after;
they are incomparable renderings that constitute an amalgam of scientific study,
meticulous viticultural practices, and an innate, elusive gift for translating
his passion through the wine itself—a highly personalized endowment that
cannot be recreated. A traditionalist that has shared in the safeguarding of
classic Brunello with the heralded Biondi-Santi, Soldera engages in an intense
artisanal, organic approach that is rooted in an uncompromising degree of quality
control, with exceedingly low yields being the hallmark of his efforts. A profound
master of Brunello, Soldera crafts wines that are highly articulate, elegant,
and complex expressions of terroir. Enter the rare and riveting realm of their
creator in this fascinating exploration of a perfectionist who operates in
the space where nature and idealism collide. (Note: All copies available
through IWM have been autographed by Gianfranco—a consummate touch to
a work that brings you inside a truly signature mind and space. Only a limited
number of copies are available for purchase.)
IWM Wine Experience
 View
all of IWM's Upcoming Events.
Collector's
Seminar:
The Killer B's—Barolo, Brunello, and Barbaresco
April 5, 2008 1:00-3:00 p.m., $125.00
Barolo, Brunello, and Barbaresco. They represent the most collected pure-varietal
wines of Italy, competing with the Grand Crus of Burgundy as well as the cult
favorites of California. Every week, IWM features some of the many sought-after,
limited-production wines that best represent each category. More often than not,
these wines require aging to display their full opulence. So before uncorking
these collectible and ageworthy gems, it is important to sample bottlings that
are both ready to drink and in a stage that illuminates the characteristics of
these often complex and sophisticated wines. This rare tasting has been designed
to aid the experienced enthusiast in selecting wines that are both capable of
aging and appreciating in value. Legends such as Bruno Giacosa and Angelo
Gaja will be showcased in addition to rising stars such as Poggio di Sotto
and Il Palazzone.
Participants Receive:
• Tasting Booklet that includes IWM's proprietary notes
• Sampling of regional foods prepared by IWM chefs paired with each wine
tasted
To learn more about IWM's Studio Regionale Saturday Tasting Series or to make
a reservation over the phone, contact Michann Thompson at 212.473.2323, x106.
Passion
on the Vine
The below passage is taken from the April edition of Gourmet magazine, which
is now available on newsstands, and showcases an excerpt from Sergio's soon-to-be-released
book, Passion
on the Vine. Entitled "In Vino Parentis," this piece offers Sergio's
perspective on Giuseppe Quintarelli, the Master of the Veneto, which he relates
over the course of a dining experience dedicated to Quintarelli's wines and
infused with a little family drama.
“If a normal wine is a paper airplane,
a wine made by Quintarelli is a spaceship. Every quality is overblown—its
sweetness, its sourness, its acidity, its tannins, textures, flavors, smells—and
at the same time, all the qualities work in tandem. The Amarone was an
exercise in contradiction, and the question it brought up for me was: How,
in the blast of confusion created by such exaggeration, could there exist
perfect poise and harmony? It was a mellow symphony.…
I wasn’t the only one who responded to Quintarelli’s wines. They
were the hardest Italian wines to find in the world, and his cultlike following
was constantly scrambling for more—for his Amarone, his Valpolicella, his
Cabernet Franc, his sweet reds, everything.”
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