Soldera Tasting

Our local wine group met this past Monday evening. It was my turn to bring the wine and select the venue.  I chose Rare, The Steakhouse in Little Falls, NJ as the venue.  For the wine I decided on a Brunello di Montalcino tasting featuring the wines of Gianfranco Soldera.  All wines were given a 3 hour slo-o at home before being transported to the restaurant.

In my humble opinion there is no better producer of Brunello di Montalcino than Gianfranco Soldera.  His wine is the essence of traditionally made, unadulterated wine.  I had the pleasure of meeting Soldera at his Case Basse estate in 2008 and was completely captivated by the man’s passion and convictions. He firmly believes that high quality production requires a complex ecosystem that constitutes an ideal habitat for natural cultivation.  Thus the Case Basse estate pays attention to preserving the stonewalls where birds, small mammals and insects nest and reproduce.  For the same purpose, he creates artificial sanctuaries to attract animals in the hope that they become permanent residents, and also establishes beehives.  What does this have to do with wine?  Well when you taste his wine you will know.  It is pure, round and delicious, a pure product of the grape, soil and climate.

Wine Cellar

Loose stone walls

The cellar itself is highly individual. He commissioned from architect Stefano Lambardi a cellar that was far more in keeping with his vision…a building that would be harmonious in its proportions, as natural as possible, and harmonious in its surroundings. Lambardi has described it as "a kind of grotto [made] using only natural materials, stone and iron." It was dug 46ft (14m) deep and given a stone floor. The walls are metal cages some 3ft (1m) deep, filled with loose stones, beyond which there is a 15.75in (40cm) space in which air can circulate and rise to the surface, then the soil. Soldera wanted to avoid concrete, which he believes has it own smell and does not "breathe" in the way that he wanted the whole building to breathe. The humidity is a fairly constant 85 percent, and the temperature 55.4°F (13°C).

Soldera, and his wife Graziella, an avid botanist who tends to 1500 varieties of roses at the estate, first discovered the then-abandoned Case Basse property in the early 1970s. They set about restoring the estate to full function, following a strict and intriguing philosophy of “enlightened agriculture” to create a singular Brunello of the utmost quality.

He limits his production to 15,000 bottles a year. The wines spend six years or more in large, very old, neutral oak casks with minimal rackings.  Sodera’s wines, always expensive, have become even more so recently, the result of a former disgruntled employee who destroyed 60,000 liters of wine in 2012 from vintages 2007 through 2012.

At a Soldera dinner I attended last year, he spoke about how his bottling techniques and cork quality obviate the need to store his bottles on their side, as is usual for all wines that are aging. He says, “stand them up”.  I have followed his advice.  Who am I do challenge a master.

The food at Rare was a perfect complement to the wines.  Selections that we enjoyed included Lamb Chops; Sirloin Steak; Porterhouse Steak and Lobster Fra Diavolo.

Flight One

1995 Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Intistieti.  The wine is a stunning example of Sangiovese made by a master, displayiing impeccable balance and harmony on a complex and velvety palate. Spectacular and delicious, it is a wine with soul!. No doubt of sense of place with Soldera. A beautiful expression of what wine can be when the winemaker does not interfere with what the climate and vineyard has given him. There are few words to describe this wine except to steal some words from importer Terry Theise from his book Reading between the Wines, “this is a wine in which…the spirit of celebration lives”.  My wine of the night.

More information on Intistieti and Casa Basse distinctions can be found here http://www.italianwinemerchantstore.com/investing/landmark_wines/soldera_brunello_intistieti.html

2002 Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva.  2002 was a very difficult vintage in Montalcino.  In fact Gianfranco did not want to pick the grapes, but his wife insisted, so along with her sister, they selected the grapes.  Only 6,000 bottles were made.   The wine turned out to be Gianfranco’s son’s favorite vintage.  The wine, while lighter than the other bottles we drank, had a beautifully freshness on the palate and silky finish.  Proof once again that when a great winemaker chooses to make wine in an off vintage, the results are usually very good.

Flight Two

2003 Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva.  A better year than 2002, but nothing to get excited about.  Soldera, however, once again made a superb wine, showing impeccable balance, lush fruit, focus, finesse and a very long and elegant finish.

2004 Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva.  2004 was an exceptional vintage and Soldera made an exceptional wine. Antonio Galloni, founder of Vinous says of the wine, “...might be the single most elegant wine ever made at the estate. Silky tannins, soaring aromatics and finely sculpted fruit elevate the 2004 into the realm of the truly sublime.”   I could not agree more with his comments. This was elegance in the glass.  The wine soared with each sip and finished with great length.  It was my runner up to the 1995 as the WOTN.

Flight Three

2005 Soldera Case Basse Pegasos Toscana IGT.  The 2005 Pegasos is not a new wine, per se, but rather a barrel of 2005 Brunello-designated juice that Soldera thought was ready to bottle and drink sooner rather than later, but not up to the qualitative standards of his top Brunello labels. The wine displayed a gorgeous clear red hue reminiscent of a Pinot Noir from Burgundy. A light bodied wine with an extremely pure and balanced palate.  In my opinion it is an amazing wine for a “declassified Brunello”, albeit a bit pricey.

2005 Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva.  An average vintage, and again Soldera made a terrific wine that I have enjoyed 3 or 4 times before.  Unfortunately, tonight’s bottle was not a good one.

My good friend Gino, who I invited as a guest to the dinner, brought a 2008 Marco de Bartoli Passito di Pantelleria "Bukkuram" for dessert.  Made at the de Bartoli property on the island of Pantelleria in the Strait of Sicily, it is fashioned from 100% Zibbibo grapes. Half of the grapes are dried in the sun for three weeks on special racks within an area delimited by black stone walls. The remaining grapes are left to mature and partially dry out on the plants. These are picked and vinified; when the fermentation is well advanced, the dried raisins are added to the wine and left to macerate for three months. The wine is aged for 30 months in 225l French oak barrels, then 6 months in steel vats.

The wine has a deep amber color with a palate of raisins and honey that was delicious and the perfect end to a perfect evening.

Saluté