2006 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 last flight brings the evening to a rousing finish.

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.

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.

This wine was tasted during Aspen Food & Wine Classic in June of 2013

The wine world was shocked in November 2012 when a disgruntled former employee entered the Soldera cellar and opened the spigots of all the casks in the cellar. In a few minutes, all of the wines in those casks, vintages 2007-2012, went literally down the drain, causing a loss that goes well beyond anything that can be measured in financial terms. The Soldera Brunellos are by far the most visible, expensive and fervently collected wines of Montalcino. To lose virtually the entire production of these wines would be like six vintages of DRC being destroyed. In other words: unthinkable. Just a year before I tasted all of those wines. To think they are gone is utterly heartbreaking. Fortunately, a few wines were not destroyed in the theft, including small amounts of vintages 2007-2012 that were racked into steel at the time of the break in and a portion of 2006 that had already been bottled. Those wines will be doled out to a lucky few with a teardrop over the coming years. Meanwhile, Gianfranco Soldera, a man of unbreakable determination, is focused on the 2013 season. But the story does not end there. Immediately following the destruction at Case Basse, fellow Brunello producers offered to give Soldera bulk wine, a gesture more of solidarity than anything else, as those producers surely knew Soldera would never have accepted their wines, far less bottled them under his own label, given his highly personal style. Soldera's terse response to his colleagues' offer of assistance understandably angered them. A few weeks ago, Soldera announced he was selling his remaining stock of 2006 Brunello as IGT labeled 100% Sangiovese from the Case Basse estate, while doubling his ex-cellar price. In the meantime, the Consorzio prepared to sue Soldera for libel. Sound like a soap opera? Unfortunately, this public airing of dirty laundry, so typical of Italian culture, is yet another black eye for Montalcino, a region that can't seem to go more than a few years without some controversy. This action helps no one. The best thing the Consorzio could have done is take the high road and ignore Soldera. Instead, they have given him additional publicity. So, let's talk wine while the warring factions duke it out.

This wine was tasted over lunch at NoMad and was featured in Wine & Food, January 2013.