1999 | Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera | Brunello di Montalcino

It displays heady, complex aromas of smoke, tar and scorched earth, along with plenty of sweet dark fruit and tobacco flavors, in a potent, brooding style showing a rich inner tension between its fruit and the structure of the vintage.

Producer Information

Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera, more commonly referred to as Case Basse or Soldera, is a wine estate founded in 1972 in Montalcino, Tuscany. It is known for its prized Brunello wines which, despite high prices, generally sell out on release. The Case Basse vineyard is just two hectares (five acres) in size, while the estate's other plot, Intistieti, covers around 4.5ha (11 acres). Both are planted entirely to Sangiovese, and make a small range of wines under the Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino and IGT Toscana designations – the exact blends and classifications change every year. The estate has expansive rose gardens – containing more than 1500 species – and woods to encourage biodiversity. Vineyard practices are modern and geared towards yield restriction, with short winter pruning, a green pruning in the summer, and grape thinning to aid ripening. In the cellar things are more traditional. The standard label is fermented using natural yeasts and is aged for up to five years in large Slavonian oak in a subterranean cellar which does not require temperature control. The Riserva wine receives an extra year of aging. In some vintages, and/or from younger vines, Case Basse produces Intistieti and Pegasos IGT Toscana red wines, which spend less time in cask. Wines are bottled unfiltered, and production is limited to around 15,000 bottles per year. In 2012, five years' worth of Soldera production, from 2007 to 2012, was almost completely destroyed by former employee Andrea Di Gisi after he broke into the cellar. Di Gisi was sentenced to four years in prison. Following the sabotage, Soldera resigned from the local wine trade body, the Brunello di Montalcino Consorzio, despite the latter offering to supply him with wine to sell (which he turned down). Gianfranco Soldera died in 2019. He was highly regarded as a winemaker and embraced many minimal-intervention techniques in the vineyard and winery, from an outright ban on chemical fertilizers on the land to indigenous yeasts in cellar. He was, however, just as well known for his run-ins with the Consorzio, and other local producers. The estate continues to be run by Soldera's widow Graziella and children Monica and Mauro, and their partners.

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