Soldera: Brunello di Montalcino 1977-2000

1977	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	90
1979	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	93
1981	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	93
1982	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	95
1983	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	96
1984	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	91
1985	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	?
1985	Soldera Intistieti	87
1986	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	94
1988	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	94
1990	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	95
1990	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	98
1991	Soldera Intistieti	?
1991	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	89
1992	Soldera Intistieti	88
1993	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	90
1993	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	92
1994	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	89
1995	Soldera Intistieti	90
1995	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Case Basse	95
1996	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	?
1997	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	95
1999	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino	93
1999	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	96
2000	Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	92

Gianfranco Soldera is without question Montalcino’s most iconic producer. At their best, Soldera’s 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. Those 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 casks.

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 sites. Beginning with the 1975 vintage fruit from Case Basse was used to make the Rosso dai Vigneti di Brunello (that era’s equivalent of 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. Soldera made his first Brunello from the Intistieti vineyard in 1977. 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 was not always the case. In 2000, Soldera began releasing all of his Brunello as Riserva. With the 2006 vintage, Soldera left the formal Brunello di Montalcino appellation and transitioned to labeling all of his wines Toscana Sangiovese.

Soldera’s first Brunello, the 1977 Brunello di Montalcino is still in fine shape. It opens with promising, ethereal aromas of worn-in leather, spices and dark fruits, but ultimately comes across as less exciting on the palate. The 1979 Brunello di Montalcino is noticeably sweeter and riper than the 1977, with generous notes of tar, licorice, dark cherries and spices. The 1981 Brunello di Montalcino is not quite as opulent as the 1979 but it offers notable harmony and elegance in a very refined, complete package. The Soldera style as we know it today is crystallized in the 1982 Brunello di Montalcino, the wine which can be called his first truly great effort. This superb Brunello is on a totally different level from the preceding wines. Still quite fresh, vibrant and layered, it is a masterfully sculpted, pure Sangiovese with at least another decade of prime drinking ahead of it. Stylistically, it reminds me of the great Barolos and Barbarescos of that vintage, which is hardly surprising given Soldera’s passion for those wines. Things get even better with the 1983 Brunello di Montalcino, which is drop-dead gorgeous. It possesses superb inner perfume and a full-bodied, ripe and opulent expression of fruit. The contrast between structured and fruit-driven vintages is one of the themes that begins to emerge from this comprehensive tasting. Overall, these early wines are notable. They have remained perfectly intact, which is quite an accomplishment for a producer who was very young at the time the wines were made.

The 1984 Brunello di Montalcino is one of the smaller-scaled wines of the night, but it shows terrific balance and harmony in a fully mature style. Unfortunately, we don’t have great luck with our 1985s. The 1985 Brunello di Montalcino is corked, while the 1985 Intistieti is volatile and oxidized. In 1985 both of these wines were made from the Intistieti vineyard, but Soldera found that one cask was aging at faster clip, so that wine was bottled separately and released as Intistieti. The consistently disappointing performance of the Intistieti bottlings is a rather heated point of discussion during the evening. Soldera’s 1986 Brunello di Montalcino is another of the positive surprises in this tasting. It is similar in style to the 1982 in its full-bodied, structured expression of Sangiovese. This is an undeniably great bottle. The 1988 Brunello di Montalcino shows the finessed side of this producer’s wines. A delicate, elegant Brunello, it reveals layers of fruit that open in the glass with remarkable purity. The wine remains fresh and vibrant from start to finish, in an utterly irresistible style.

As mentioned above, prior to 1990 Soldera made one Brunello, and it was always made from the Intistieti vineyard. In 1990, he made a regular bottling and Riserva, from the Case Basse and Intistieti vineyards respectively. Both are modern-day legends. The 1990 Brunello di Montalcino presents an opulent, seamless expression of ripe fruit with compelling balance and superb drinkability. It is awesome. But the 1990 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is even better. Simply put, this wine has it all. Sensual, inviting aromatics meld into a sweet, expansive palate as the wine opens to reveal the breadth of its profoundness. Despite its fruit-driven style, there is plenty of structure underneath to provide balance. This is very nearly a perfect wine, and easily the finest Brunello I have ever had the pleasure of drinking.

In 1991, things get a little more confusing. As it turns out the 1991 Intistieti, was in fact made from the Case Basse vineyard, but Soldera says he liked the Intistieti name from previous vintages, so he kept it. Unfortunately the wine is deeply flawed and impossible to evaluate with any accuracy. The 1991 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (from Intistieti fruit) is better. This is a pretty wine, but it reveals some hard edges and an advanced, forward expression in its fruit. According to Soldera, 1992 was not a vintage important enough to make Brunello, so he declassified his entire production and released it as Intistieti. Despite the weak vintage, Soldera still gave his wine 4 full years of oak, so this wine is effectively a Brunello for all practical reasons, except name. The 1992 Intistieti is still fresh and intact, but it offers very little fruit, which leaves the wine with an angular, hard-edged personality.

The estate’s 1993 Brunello di Montalcino is one of the more forward wines of the night. Made in a feminine style for this producer, it comes across as a fairly advanced wine to drink sooner rather than later. The 1993 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is better than the regular bottling, with riper fruit and a more intense, vibrant expression of Sangiovese. Soldera’s 1994 Brunello di Montalcino lacks the stuffing to stand up to its structural components. It comes across as angular and lean, with drying tannins on the finish. The 1995 Intistieti was the finest of the Intistietis in this tasting. Full-bodied, ripe and sweet, it reveals outstanding persistence and plenty of style. The 1995 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Case Basse takes things to another level entirely. It is a big, massive Brunello loaded with dark cherries, smoke, licorice and tar. There is a purity and sheer beauty to this wine that is absolutely irresistible. In 1995 the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is made from Case Basse fruit, while the Intistieti and normal bottling of Brunello are made from Intistieti fruit.

The 1996 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is either cooked or very evolved. Regardless, it is impossible to assess this wine with any degree of accuracy, so judgment is reserved. In 1996 Soldera found himself with unusually low production, so he made only one wine, which is a blend of Case Basse and Intistieti fruit. The 1997 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva comes across as a modern-day version of the 1983 and 1990. It offers tons of super-ripe fruit that fill out its structured frame with notable opulence. This is a superb Brunello made in a generous, rewarding style. In 1997 Soldera only made one wine, which was mostly Intistieti fruit with a little Case Basse. The 1999 Brunello di Montalcino is gorgeous, perfumed and delicate. I have experienced significant bottle variation with this vintage, but this particular bottle is among the finest I have ever tasted. The 1999 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is monumental. Made in a layered, gorgeous style, it shows tons of depth in its fruit and awesome purity allied to a powerful sense of structure. Our final wine, the 2000 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva reveals a very ripe expression of fruit, but it lacks the elegance and complexity of the finest vintages. Still, this wine has plenty of time to develop in the bottle.

This incredible tasting of the wines of Gianfranco Soldera is by far the most in-depth survey of the estate’s wines I have ever been a part of. We stopped with the 2000 Riserva only because it seemed sacrilegious to open anything beyond that at this stage. I am deeply indebted to collectors Tom Black, Bruce Fingeret, Eddie Milstein and Ray Tuppatsch for supplying most of the bottles we tasted. I would also like to thank my dear friend Rino Fontana for helping me secure pristine examples of the late 1970s and early 1980s wines, bottles that are essentially non-existent today. Lastly, this event would not have been possible without the significant contribution of the staff at Alto in New York, and particular that of Wine Director Eric Zillier, whose team did a brilliant job serving the wines. Chef Michael White prepared a superb meal after the tasting which will be the subject of a forthcoming Hedonist’s Gazette.

--Antonio Galloni

 

Appendix:

A Guide to the Brunellos of Gianfranco Soldera

The following table details the wines produced by Soldera in each vintage. The names in parentheses correspond to the vineyard source(s) for the respective wines.

1977: Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola (Note 1) (Case Basse)

1978: Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola (Case Basse)

1979: Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola (Case Basse)

1980: Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola (Case Basse)

1981: Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola (Case Basse)

1982: Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola (Case Basse)

1983: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (Intistieti), Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola (Case Basse)

1984: Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola (Case Basse)

1985: Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola Intistieti(Note 2) (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola (Case Basse)

1986: Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola (Case Basse)

1987: Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola Intistieti (Case Basse)

1988: Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola Intistieti (Case Basse)

1989: No wine bottled

1990: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (Intistieti), Brunello di Montalcino (Case Basse)

1991: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (Intistieti), Vino da Tavola Intistieti (Case Basse)

1992: Vino da Tavola Intistieti (blend of the best fruit from Intistieti and Case Basse)

1993: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (Intistieti), Brunello di Montalcino (Intistieti), Brunello di Montalcino Case Basse (Case Basse)

1994: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (Intistieti), Brunello di Montalcino (Case Basse)

1995: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (Intistieti), Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Case Basse (Case Basse), Vino da Tavola Intisiteti (Intistieti),

1996: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (blend of the best fruit from Intistieti and Case Basse)

1997: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (one barrel, mostly Intistieti with some Case Basse)

1998: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (Intistieti), Brunello di Montalcino (Case Basse, spent one more year in barrel than Riserva in this vintage.)

1999: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (Intistieti), Brunello di Montalcino (Case Basse)

2000: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (Intistieti)

2001: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Lot F. 68 (Intistieti), Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Lot G. 69 (Case Basse)

Notes

1 The Vino da Tavola produced from vintages 1977-1988 was made from 100% young-vine Sangiovese fruit sourced from the Case Basse vineyard, a Brunello-classified plot, similar to what a Rosso di Montalcino might be in today’s terms.

2 The first Vino da Tavola Intistieti was produced in 1985. Soldera used this label for wines that he felt weren’t up to the standards of his Brunello di Montalcino. For example, in 1985 he had one barrel that was evolving relatively quickly, so it was released as Vino da Tavola Intistieti. In 1992, a vintage Soldera felt was not worthy of the Brunello di Montalcino designation, he declassified all his wine to Vino da Tavola Intistieti. The earliest Intistietis were in fact made from the Intistieti vineyard, but in subsequent vintages (1987, 1988, 1991) the wine was actually made from the Case Basse vineyard. Soldera opted to keep the Intistieti name because he liked it. Today the IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) designation is used much more widely than Vino da Tavola

Source: Gianfranco Soldera, July 2008