INTRODUCTION
Perfection achieved through simplicity is the best way to describe the illustrious wine made by the Soldera family, at least in my opinion.
There is just one wine: Toscana IGP 100% Sangiovese Soldera® Case Basse®. It is a single-varietal wine made from the Sangiovese grape and the celebrated Ancient-Greek dolphin adorned bottles are reserved exclusively for this wine.
The simplistic approach is found in both the vineyard and the winery: the viticulture is absolutely organic, the winemaking non-interventionist and the winery is humble and grotto-like (a natural cave). The Soldera family is solely, and entirely, dedicated to producing this stunning wine.
While nuances of a particular vintage are revealed in every bottle, the signature purity, precision and elegance of Soldera is always present. This wine will sweep you off your feet and hold you under its enchanting spell.
Professional athletes often say performance is about executing the perfect motion in every stroke, instead of a thousand attempts to achieve one legendary move. At Case Basse, the Soldera family have devoted five decades to fine-tune their sustainable viticulture and traditional winemaking, and the result is a legendary wine. The 2019 vintage produced yet another impeccable wine, and the following vintages aging in the cellar are very promising.
Corney & Barrow is proud to be the exclusive agent of Soldera in Hong Kong, China and Singapore as well as several other countries in Asia.
THIBAUT MATHIEU Managing Director - Corney & Barrow Asia
Monica Soldera and her team.
BACKGROUND TO THE ESTATE
Soldera is located south of the town of Montalcino, in an area called Tavernelle. It is a cool site, that was historically considered futile for viticulture and left fallow by locals until Gianfranco Soldera decided to purchase the land. There was nothing but a house and guided by his intuition he decided to plant his vineyards on this virgin soil.
Gianfranco Soldera was a successful insurance broker in Milan in the 1960s, the city where he grew up. He was born in Treviso, Veneto where his relatives owned a vineyard, so he was introduced to viticulture at a young age. In his mid-30s, he had finally the means to achieve his dream of making wine. After several exploratory visits to Italy’s famed wine regions, he decided on Montalcino, following his instinct after discovering the Case Basse property.
The Case Basse plot was purchased in 1972 and is named after the localita where the winery is situated. While the Intistieti plot nearby was purchased in 1973.
The whole estate covers 24 hectares, however vines are only planted across six hectares. The winery is on the southern side of the Case Basse plot and borders the magnificent flower garden created by Graziella Soldera. The garden is a haven brimming with rare species of flowers, bushes and trees and an abundance of wildlife hums. Eight hectares of woodland surrounds the estate, acting as a protector. Gianfranco and Graziella believed in preserving this natural ecosystem and promoting biodiversity, as it ultimately improves the health of the vines. The Solderas wanted to maintain this symbiosis that evidently benefits the vines and the quality of the wine they craft. The energy of this special place is palpable as soon as you pass through the gates to the beautiful estate.
The Intistieti parcelle is about half a kilometre away, driving south on the dirt road passing in front of the winery. The woodland continues around this vineyard too and it is more isolated that the Case Basse plot.
THE VINEYARD
Case Basse spans two hectares and is divided into two sub-plots, planted only with Sangiovese.
The soil has a high content of limestone and is rocky and well-draining. The vines are planted on a south-west exposure and benefit from the high luminosity so typical in Tuscany.
The Intistieti vineyard comprises of four hectares on slightly poorer soil and is 400 metres away as crows fly and 10 metres lower in altitude than Case Basse. The exposure is very similar to the upper plot, and the view over the valley is impressive. At Intistieti, the vines are divided into six sub-plots and the vineyard benefits from the open sky and bright light.
The exposure to the elements, was one of the key features that convinced the Solderas to set up their winery in this secluded part of the appellation. Case Basse is 350~400m above sea level and was historically considered too cold for vines to thrive, but now the welcome, cooling winds help moderate the ever-increasing temperatures. The bright sunshine and long summer evenings are critical for the grapes to reach perfect ripeness. Whereas, the forest acts a buffer, creating a special microclimate.
The topsoil is composed of friable galestro which is the typical limestone and schist compound found in Montalcino. The vines are planted at 3,300 plants per
hectare and the vines’ trunks are left to grow tall and the bunches hang high at hip-level on the canes. The vines are cordone speronato (cordon-trained), alternating single or double cordon and spur-pruned. The Soldera family cultivate the vineyard following organic principles and work the soil and vines by hand. Only natural treatments are applied, based on plant concoctions, ‘home-made’ fertilisers and bees-and-trees-derived medicine to heal bruised vines. The canes are left uncut during the growing season to allow the root system to extend as deep as possible in the underground and find the necessary water and nutrients.
To control the crop, the team prune the vines short in winter, followed by manual bud thinning in spring. Green harvesting takes place throughout the year. The estate applies a strict rule on the quantity and weight of the bunches bore by the vines (two to four bunches per vine and at most 300g per bunch). Canopy management is another hot topic. In recent vintages, leaves have been used to protect the berries from sunburn, but in wet conditions like 2023, the team scoured the rows manically to pluck unnecessary foliage and naturally prevent oidium. In hot years, humidity is retained by laying straw in between the rows while a couple of wells were dug to collect excess rainwater.
The high trained vines at Case Basse.
THE CELLAR
In 2001, Gianfranco commissioned the architect Stefano Lambardi to build the perfect cellar to produce his wine.
In line with Soldera’s philosophy of letting nature perform its magic, Lambardi build a simple underground lair, without concrete or plaster. Rocks are encased in a wire netting and stacked on top of each other. The earth, just behind the casing, continues to exchange with the wine throughout the vinification and maturation. The humidity is constant, and the temperature is naturally low, thanks to the cellar being fourteen meters below the surface. An essential element in the design was for the wine to remain connected with the soil.
After harvesting by hand, the bunches are sorted twice upon arrival at the winery, destemmed but never crushed. The grapes are then loaded in truncated cone-shaped Slavonian oak fermenters for 28 to 35 days of spontaneous fermentation with natural yeast, the famous GF1 stream. As much as the Soldera family are careful with the use of modern technology, they have always invested heavily in scientific research and specifically yeast-strain studies. This led to the University of Firenze isolating the indigenous yeast responsible for the alcoholic fermentation at Soldera, which was aptly ‘christened’ GF1 (Gianfranco 1). The university laboratory tests the must and then the wine several times a day during fermentation and maturation to follow its evolution.
Nature is monitored from a distance and human intervention is kept to the minimum. The temperature of the wine is monitored by the hour during vinification but only controlled by carefully executed pumping over. In 2019, alcoholic fermentation lasted two weeks and the malolactic fermentation took place naturally two weeks later and lasted fourteen days. The wine is then racked to the large botti where the new wine will age for up to 60 months. During the élevage (maturation), the family conducts frequent tastings and, chemical and microbiological analysis to follow the development of the wine. Racking is only performed when necessary to keep the perfect health of the wine and preserve its richness of taste.
When the family deems the wine ready, the bottles are filled directly from the casks, one by one. Soldera is never filtered. The patented Soldera bottle has been designed to be the perfect recipient of the wine; the dark colour protecting from the light. Soldera uses very high-quality long corks which perfectly fit the elongated neck of the bottle. After bottling, the wine stays in the winery for a further six months before being shipped. Paolo Franco, Monica Soldera’s husband and Gianfranco’s long-term right-hand-man is now in charge of the whole operation at the winery and in the vineyard.
WHEN AND HOW TO DRINK SOLDERA
I make no apologies for repeating the below again:
I feel strongly, and more so every year, that the many different ways (though the more sensitive school is winning out thankfully) in which “Brunello” is made can lead to some popular misconceptions that should not be applied to Soldera. Gianfranco was always very definite on how his wines should be served. The wine should always be served cool, at what one might refer to as cellar temperature, allowing time to open and evolve. It should not be decanted. If a decanter must be used for an older bottle, then it should be as narrow and near to bottleshape as possible. Gianfranco also designed his own glasses as he believed that glasses should not be too wide. Personally, I feel the biggest missed opportunity occurs when people assume these are bold, rich wines that need to be aged for extended time; Gianfranco believed the bottles should be stored upright not lying down (assuming good humidity). They do age exceptionally well but to not drink these wines in youth, as well as with age, is an error. A great wine is always a great wine and that is never truer than here. Soldera wines have amongst the broadest drinking windows of any wines I know. It was well summed it up in the 2006 offer: “Tasting these wines one can only marvel at their complexity, their ability to be luscious, weightless, elegant, refined and yet powerful. They have subliminal authority and intensity.” This may seem a patronising title for a section of this offer. It is not meant to be. Wines this great are rare and maximising enjoyment is everything.
WILL HARGROVE, Head of Fine Wine, Corney & Barrow and Director of Corney & Barrow Asia
THE 2019 VINTAGE
Vintage 2019 in Montalcino is lauded as one of the best. It is almost as if the vintage is celebrating the life of the great man, Gianfranco Soldera, who passed away earlier that year while visiting his beloved vines.
In the technical sheet, placed within every case of Soldera, Paolo reports a cool, wet winter and spring, followed by a summer without any excessive heat spikes and an average rainfall. Harvest took place between the 13th and 29th of September, allowing the grapes to reach full maturity. There is little doubt that the elegance and complexity of the vintage come from the extended time on the vine.
Emotionally, this vintage is important for the Soldera family. It was the first harvest and vinification without Gianfranco, but with Monica’s husband Paolo at the helm. Of course, like previous years, the family was involved in the whole process, but one member was only there in spirit. It must have been special.
After tasting the wine, I understood the smile on Paolo’s face and the feeling of relief. The job is extremely well done, the unique taste of Soldera is very much there and is of the highest quality.
TOSCANA IGP 100% SANGIOVESE SOLDERA® CASE BASSE® 2019
The colour of the 2019 is dark ruby. Aromas of red and black fruits come to the fore, revealing a warm year. With some air, notes of sweet spices and dark red roses appear. The palate is complex and voluptuous, all in perfect balance. The classic sharpness of Soldera is here, with a very long finish. And there is as well an extra layer of richness, of texture. This is a lush vintage, built for the long run.
At the end of my tasting notes, I wrote it is a wine of joy, energy and celebration. The show is going on!
Corney & Barrow Score 19.5
Recommended drinking from 2024 - 2039
Price on Application
THE ALLOCATION PROCESS
We are often asked by customers for guidance on the quantities they should
order.
Due to the huge increase in demand for Soldera wine over recent years, we have to allocate each vintage. We will do our best to accommodate newer customers, however priority will be given to customers who have supported Soldera over time.
• Soldera and Corney & Barrow’s focus is on the private customer and as a consumer rather than a speculator and on restaurants.
• The wines are bought on the clear understanding that they can be stored in the UK with Corney & Barrow only and will be delivered to Asian countries only where Corney & Barrow is the agent.
• Should you wish to sell the wine in the future, do please offer Corney & Barrow first refusal, as this will ensure the integrity of secondary market distribution.
• May we please have your order by Friday 24th May. Confirmation of your order will be through receipt of invoice and the wines will be delivered or put into your reserve on payment. As already outlined, all orders are conditional upon UK storage or Asia delivery only. May we please request that invoices are settled within the usual terms. In the interests of being fair, we reserve the right to reallocate your order to other customers on the waiting list if payment is not received by this time. Do please speak to our sales team, who will be delighted to help you further.
Paolo checking the evolution of the wine.
HONG KONG
12/F Club Lusitano, 16 Ice House Street, Central, Hong Kong
T +852 3694 3333
hongkong@corneyandbarrow.com
SINGAPORE
70 Anson Road #07-01 Hub Synergy Point Singapore 079905
T +65 6221 8530 singapore@corneyandbarrow.com
SHANGHAI
Room 2037, 20/F, 989 Changle Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China 200031
T +86 21 5117 5472 Shanghai@corneyandbarrow.cn
www.corneyandbarrow.com.hk | www.corneyandbarrow.com.sg
www.corneyandbarrow.com.hk