1999 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

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. This flight of more recent benchmarks is fabulous. Where should I start?

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.

Over the years I have been fortunate to taste just about every wine Gianfranco Soldera has made at his Case Basse property in Montalcino. Even the early mid-1970s Rossos, which were then called Rosso dai Vigneti di Brunello, have aged exceptionally well. This recent dinner with one of my New York tasting groups provided a great opportunity to check in on a numberof mostly more recent releases. Gianfranco Soldera’s Brunellos remain some of the most compelling, viscerally thrilling wines readers will find anywhere in the world.

As always, provenance is key. I couldn’t help notice that a number of the wines I brought showed exceptionally well. They weren’t necessarily from the best or most highly regarded years, but they were most certainly bottles that did not have a lot of miles on them. That makes a huge difference, especially with wines that are made with very little intervention in the cellar.

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.

Gianfranco 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 greatest passions and clearly his own wines share some attributes with them. Soldera's approach, though, is quite unique. He fervently believes that supporting the entire ecosystem of the estate is fundamental to ensuring the vines have the right conditions in which to flourish. The grounds at the Case Basse estate are impeccably maintained and are home to many species of animals as well as a rich array of flowers and plants, including over 200 varieties of roses to give just one example. To say that the estate is worth a visit just to walk through the property would be an understatement. Soldera's meticulous attention to detail in the vineyard is legendary, and these are some of the most well-maintained, manicured vines I have ever seen. No pesticides or fungicides are employed and only natural fertilizers are used.

“I chose to purchase the Case Basse estate because I thought that here I could create the ideal conditions to make great wines,” explains Soldera. “For me the most important aspect of the vineyard is the plants' exposure to light, rather than heat, so all of my vineyards are planted south-west which allows the vines to receive the maximum amount of light during the day. When vineyards are planted south-east or south the grapes will often have moisture on the skins from early morning dew, and if the moisture has not dried off when the sun hits the grapes there is a higher risk of disease, and that requires using treatments of the kind I try to avoid at all costs.” Soldera works with small yields, which he won't divulge. Once the fruit is in the cellar, fermentations are carried out with natural yeasts in wood vats without the aid of temperature control. The wines then age in Slavonian oak casks for roughly five years prior to being bottled. The estate produces a Brunello from its younger Case Basse vineyard, and a Riserva from the older Intistieti vineyard. In a typical vintage there is one cask produced of each wine.

During the morning I spent at the estate I tasted every wine in the cellar from 2000 to 2005. I was most impressed with Soldera's 2001s and 2004s which are spectacular at this stage. These wines have aromatic complexity, sweet fruit and a level of overall balance I can only define as breathtaking. That said, these wines are made in a quirky style that may not appeal to every palate. Relative to most other Brunellos, these are lightly colored wines with an ethereal almost weightless texture. Some may find the levels of volatile acidity to be extreme.

“Vintages 2001 and 2004 are both outstanding and I would say they are at about the same level in terms of quality,” says Soldera. “2003 and 2005 while obviously quite different in terms of style are also fairly equivalent in quality and represent a step down from 2001 and 2004, while 2002 is a vintage unto itself as it is the most challenging vintage of recent years.” As profound as the wines from barrel were the wines tasted from bottle proved to be less consistent. Soldera has a range of wines on the market and the availability of vintages will vary from country to country. In the US the 1998s are being re-released, while in Italy the current vintage is 2000, a vintage in which Soldera has opted to release only his Riserva so far. According to Soldera the regular bottling (which I tasted from cask) will be released at a later date, although that strikes me as counterintuitive.