1982 Brunello di Montalcino

Readers traveling to Piedmont will find a dining scene replete with everything from informal wine bars to starred fine-dining establishments and everything in between. I lean towards the classics, but Langotto has become a favorite on those nights when I want to branch out.

It remains one of the greatest tastings I have ever been a part of, either as an attendee or a host. Forty-six wines, all of them in superb shape. Even wines from smaller or less well-known vintages were sublime. Not a single bottle was corked or oxidized. The memories from this retrospective of Gianfranco Soldera’s wines will last forever. Readers will find extensive historical context in the article that accompanies these tasting notes.

Gianfranco Soldera remains one of Italy’s most iconic producers. Our recent vertical tasting in London provided an extraordinary opportunity to check in on a number of Soldera Brunellos back to 1981. In particular, I was struck by how well wines from the less renowned vintages showed. The Soldera tasting was the second event in a Vinous London double-header that began with a vertical of Bartolo Mascarello Barolos held the day before. The wines in the first flight show Soldera in his early formative years.

This stunning collection of Brunellos from Gianfranco Soldera spanned twenty-four vintages and three decades going all the way back to 1981, including all of the reference point Brunellos in that time frame as well as a number of wines from less heralded vintages. Many of the bottles came from my cellar. I was especially pleased to see Brunellos from long forgotten vintages such as the 1981 and 1984 show so well. Both of those wines continued to improve over the course of the many hours I followed them. With the exception of an off bottle or two, the iconic vintages were also pretty special. Some of my favorites included the 1982, 1988, 1990 Riserva, 1994 Riserva, 1997 Riserva, 2001 Riserva and 2004 Riserva. I would like to thank a small group of friends who contributed the bottles to this tasting.

Once or twice a year my tasting group gathers to survey a collection of wines from Gianfranco Soldera. These events are always unforgettable, as Soldera’s Brunellos have the rare ability to captivate all the senses with their extraordinary, riveting beauty. To be honest, though, the cards were stacked in our favor, as the selection of vintages pretty much moved from strength to strength. Sadly, we did not have a good bottle of the 1997, but that turned out to be a relatively small blemish on an otherwise extraordinary night.

Gianfranco Soldera is without question Montalcino's most iconic producer. At their best, his Brunellos are monumental examples of the heights Sangiovese can reach in Montalcino. Soldera is a man with an incredible culture of wine. He is one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever met when it comes to the great traditionally made Barolos and Barbarescos of Piedmont. These wines are among his deepest passions and clearly his own wines share many attributes with them.

Like many producers in town, Soldera is not originally from Montalcino. After a successful career as an insurance broker in Milan, he and his wife Graziella bought the Case Basse property in the early 1970s. The Solderas planted vineyards and re-created a complete and self-sustaining ecosystem. The property is home to a vast array of exotic flowers and plants, among which there over two hundred varieties of roses alone. Needless to say, a walk through the spectacular grounds is worth a visit by itself. Soldera's meticulous attention to detail in the vineyard is legendary. His are some of the most well maintained, manicured vines I have ever seen. No pesticides or herbicides are employed and only organic fertilizers are used. The wines are made using natural yeasts and see extended periods of aging in large Slavonian oak barrels.

Soldera's Case Basse vineyard measures roughly two hectares and was planted in 1972. The Intistieti vineyard is larger, and covers about four and a half hectares. It was planted in 1973. Case Basse is the more fertile of the plots. Beginning with the 1973 vintage fruit from this vineyard was used to make Vino da Tavola Rosso (that era's rough equivalent to Rosso di Montalcino) until 1990, when Soldera deemed the vines to be of sufficient age to make Brunello. Intistieti is a much poorer soil, and therefore yields wines of greater complexity, structure and aging potential. The estate's early Brunellos were all made from the Intistieti vineyard. In 1990 Soldera released his first Brunello from the Case Basse vineyard (a normal bottling) and a Riserva from Intistieti. When Soldera felt a wine didn't merit the Brunello designation he declassified the wine and bottled it as Vino da Tavola Intistieti. It would be logical to assume that Intistieti (the wine) is made from Intistieti (the vineyard) but as we shall see, that hasn't always the case.

This wine was tasted over dinner at Alto in New York City, April 2008.