Issuu

2015 VINTAGE

WE ARE THE AGENT IN ASIA, EXCLUDING TAIWAN, JAPAN AND KOREA.

SOLDERA

2015 VINTAGE

“Uniquely magical Sangiovese” Ella Lister, The World of Fine Wine

To find out more about Corney & Barrow visit www.corneyandbarrow.com.hk or www.corneyandbarrow.com.sg

INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANT SINCE 1780

SOLDERA

2015 VINTAGE

INTRODUCTION In last year’s offer I commented how hard an offer it was to write. Emotions running understandably high only a little time after Gianfranco’s passing.

Time is a healer of sorts and we have such wonderful memories of Gianfranco. It was special to be back at Case Basse® when Adam, Thibaut and I visited back in September to see Monica Soldera and her husband Paolo. We went through the vineyard, tasted in the cellars, discussed lots of topics and lunched nearby, only Gianfranco was missing and I guess it will always feel this way. This 2015 is a “gem” and I hope my notes do it justice. This most special of estates is in great family hands with Gianfranco’s daughter Monica, son Mauro and the wider family. I simply can not wait to be back there again.

WILL HARGROVE Head of Fine Wine, May 2020

To find out more about Corney & Barrow visit www.corneyandbarrow.com.hk or www.corneyandbarrow.com.sg

INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANT SINCE 1780

“Soldera had that same boyish enthusiasm about all of his projects, whether it was the drainage system he had created to remove excess water from the vineyards, his custom glasses, his donation to charitable causes of the tiny amount of 2010 he produced, and, most importantly, the research he had done on his Sangiovese from Case Basse and the Premio Soldera award he sponsored every year for a young researcher working on Sangiovese.” Antonio Galloni, Remembering Gianfranco (Vinous)

SOLDERA

2015 VINTAGE

BACKGROUND The first wines were made in 1975, the first “commercial” releases being the 1977. During the 1960s, Gianfranco Soldera was an insurance broker in Milan, a role he continued alongside wine until 2003. There had been a family history in wine however: his grandfather made wine near Treviso, where Gianfranco was born, and there were winemakers on his mother’s side. Having earned enough to purchase a vineyard, Gianfranco scoured Italy for land where he and his wife Graziella could produce world class wine. Importantly, it was not just wine, but world class wine which was the remit from the outset. He simply would not have settled for anything less. After looking at the Veneto, Piedmont (a region he loves) and the rest of Tuscany, they discovered an abandoned farmhouse

in Montalcino. The surrounding land was considered unsuitable for vines. Gianfranco disagreed. Absolutely convinced by the potential of the soil and the aspect, he promptly acquired the property, this was 1972. He started from scratch, planting only Sangiovese. The wine was almost always bottled as a Brunello Riserva, with a few exceptions, until changing to “Toscana 100% Sangiovese Soldera” from 2006*. The only other wines/ labels releases were “Pegasos” in 2005 when one cask matured precociously and “Intistieti” in 1985/87/88/91/92 which was a table wine made from the younger vines.

“Maniacal selection of only the best fruit is the rule at Case Basse” Kerin O’Keefe, Brunello di Montalcino, in her book “Brunello di Montalcino”

*there were bottlings of 2006 under both “Brunello” and “Toscana Sangiovese”

To find out more about Corney & Barrow visit www.corneyandbarrow.com.hk or www.corneyandbarrow.com.sg

INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANT SINCE 1780

THE VINEYARD An important early alliance (from 1976) was with the winemaker Giulio Gambelli, “il grande maestro del Sangiovese”. Gambelli continued to consult at Case Basse until his death in 2012. The two men discovered common ground, both ideologically and more prosaically on such topics as minimal intervention, no temperature control, no added yeasts, long maceration on skins and long ageing in large Slavonian botti. Although the estate is referred to as Case Basse, the name of the Azienda Agricola, it is composed of two vineyards, Case Basse and Intistieti, of which Case Basse is the smaller. The vineyards lie on the southern side of Montalcino, facing southwest. They are separated by some 400 metres. Case Basse, covering two hectares and planted in 1972, is about ten metres higher in elevation than Intistieti, which is twice the size at four hectares and was planted in 1973. The planting density is around 3,300 vines per hectare, the vines being planted on limestone and schist. Gianfranco went to great lengths to foster a symbiotic relationship between the vines and their surroundings. The vineyards are set within eight hectares of woodlands, with Graziella’s bucolic two hectare garden adjacent to the estate buildings (complete with a panoply of bees,

which rise from the ankle-level lavender rather alarmingly as you brush past it). Case Basse was and is constantly evolving as Gianfranco and now Monica and family look for ways in which to encourage a bird- and insect-rich environment. Oat straw is scattered between the vines, revitalising the soil, allowing it to breathe and protecting the roots. Totally organic, Gianfranco was convinced that foreign agents ultimately end up in the wine. The vines themselves are tended with extraordinary attention to detail. Everything is done by hand, pruning hard and short in winter, with a further green pruning during the season. The vines are cordontrained (a mixture of single and double cordons) and spurpruned. The canes are allowed to grow as long as they can, unimpeded, Gianfranco believed that they should never be cut. Indeed, in the entrance to the cellar, there is a wallmounted cane of vast proportions as a clear statement of best practice. 118 leaves and 300 grams of grapes per cane is the average. Paolo, Monica’s husband, spent many years in the vineyards working with Gianfranco and it is Paolo who is now very much the man in the vines.

SOLDERA

THE CELLAR Gianfranco was clear that great wine is made through ruthless, sometimes maniacal selection in the vineyard. 8

The tiny yields in some vintages certainly bear this out. In contrast, there is a total absence of intervention in vinification. The extraordinary cellar, designed by architect Stefano Lambardi and built in 2001, has a real beauty in its contrived simplicity. It is completely cement and plaster free, the walls having been built with stones wedged into wire netting. This is all to allow the building to breathe and the wine to mature even more slowly than in the past. The wine is bottled unfiltered, direct from the botti, the absence of an intermediary holding tank meaning there may well be some variation between different bottlings. Gianfranco would not have had it any other way. The bottles, unique to Soldera, have been chosen for optimal wine conservation, dark in colour to protect against the light, long-necked in order to take supreme quality corks. Once bottled, the wine is given time to acclimatise. The label features a dolphin, sacred to Dionysus, god of wine and fertility, which is also to be found in statue form in the centre of Graziella’s wonderful garden.

2015 VINTAGE

To find out more about Corney & Barrow visit www.corneyandbarrow.com.hk or www.corneyandbarrow.com.sg

INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANT SINCE 1780

WHEN AND HOW TO DRINK SOLDERA I make no apologies for repeating the below again: I feel strongly that the many different ways in which Brunello is made can lead to some popular misconceptions that should not apply to this specific wine. 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 bottle-shaped as possible. Gianfranco had also designed his own glasses. He believed that glasses should not be too wide. Personally, I feel the biggest missed opportunity occurs by people assuming these are bold, rich wines that have to be aged for extended time; Gianfranco believed the bottles should be upright not lying down. 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 widest 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.

SOLDERA

Thibaut (Mathieu) with Monica & Paolo

2015 VINTAGE

To find out more about Corney & Barrow visit www.corneyandbarrow.com.hk or www.corneyandbarrow.com.sg

INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANT SINCE 1780

“Why I like Soldera.” Last June, I returned to Case Basse to meet with Monica Soldera, the daughter of Graziella and Gianfranco Soldera. She is now the family figure at the helm of the azienda agricola. It was my second visit, under sad circumstances after the passing of Gianfranco in February 2019. It was the first time I was meeting Monica. After a few minutes of

discussion, it was as if we had known each other for years. I 11 have the same feeling each time I taste the wine of Soldera. It has an unmistakable smell and taste, approachable palate even when young, calm and soothing from the first sip and this everlasting presence in the mouth. It feels like I have always known this wine. After our meeting we had a nice lunch in town, in one of Monica’s favourite places, Professore Vincenzini from the Univeristy of Firenze was there, coming to work with Paolo and the cellar team on yeast strain, Gianfranco’s favourite topic beside his wine. The conversation kept flowing, simply, in spite of some serious topics. I have this day vividly in mind when working on this offer and what strikes me now is that the success of Soldera is probably in its authenticity and simplicity. It has this ability to bring together people from different horizons yet with similar values and profound respect for each other. The wine and the family are famous and in high demand, the world around, yet when you meet them, it feels like being with family. There is no pretention, no distance, things become natural. These are the attribute of perfection probably: simplicity, profundity, effortlessness, purity. That is why for me, Soldera is the best wine in the world! THIBAUT MATHIEU Managing Director Corney & Barrow Hong Kong Ltd

SOLDERA

2015 VINTAGE

THE 2015 VINTAGE The “Technical Sheet” received each vintage is quite something – it looks like nothing else we receive – it has the feel of an official certificate. It goes to show exactly how detail orientated the estate is and how well studied and monitored. From bloom to harvest the 2015 growing season was 114 days long (compared with 129 days in 2014). The season can be split into two distinct halves, the bloom (budbreak) to veraison (change of grapes colour from green to red) phase, lasting 61 days being warmer and drier than the average. The véraison to harvest section, at 53 days, was also warmer than average with higher rainfall than average. Both vineyards were kept under continuous inspection with the aim to eliminate, from each vine by hand, any bunches that were not perfectly healthy.

The harvest was carried out on September 17th (nearly two weeks earlier than 2014). After the harvest the grapes were scrutinised in the cellar before full de-stemming. Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations followed in a predictable, uneventful fashion. Ageing was carried out in large Slavonian oak barrels for 45 months. Just under the equivalent of 1650 cases (12x75cl) were produced.

TOSCANA IGP 100% SANGIOVESE SOLDERA® CASE BASSE® 2015 Looking at my notes I see that the first thing I wrote was “much darker/fuller than the 2014” which just reminds me of an answer Gianfranco gave Adam and I over dinner once when I asked “What does the colour tell you about a wine?”… Gianfranco, quick as a flash retorted “The colour is for the stupid”. I shut up a bit. One never spits in the Soldera cellar, not that you would ever even think of the idea, but this 2015 is just so welcoming. It seems to be both substantial but also weightless and enigmatic. The fruits are initially deep red and creamy, but there is a sappy richness that balances this, a delightful acidity that just refreshes the palate. The next wave of fruit is deeper and darker but no less alive, no less pure. There is the tiniest bit of spice and a welcoming structure but the overwhelming characteristic here, as ever, is perfect seduction. What a wine. Addictive. Corney & Barrow Score 19-19+ Recommended drinking from 2022 - 2042+ Price On Application

To find out more about Corney & Barrow visit www.corneyandbarrow.com.hk or www.corneyandbarrow.com.sg

INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANT SINCE 1780

“An easy vintage” Gianfranco Soldera

To Order HONG KONG

+852 3694 3333

hongkong@corneyandbarrow.com SINGAPORE

+65 6221 8530

singapore@corneyandbarrow.com PLEASE NOTE These wines are released en primeur. Delivery dates to be confirmed. All prices are quoted in bond UK.

SOLDERA

2015 VINTAGE

Our Locations

HONG KONG Corney and Barrow Hong Kong Limited Unit D, 6th Floor 9 Queen’s Road Central Hong Kong T +852 3694 3333 hongkong@corneyandbarrow.com

SINGAPORE 101 Cecil Street, #16-07 Tong Eng Building, Singapore, 069533 T +65 6221 8530 singapore@corneyandbarrow.com

Online

FACEBOOK @corneyandbarrowhk @corneyandbarrowsg

INSTAGRAM @corneyandbarrowhk @corneyandbarrowsg