Soldera Case Basse

Gianfranco Soldera began farming Case Basse in 1972 and immediately established a standard that the rest of Montalcino spent decades trying to interpret. His position was simple and absolute: great Brunello required perfect farming, perfect Sangiovese Grosso, and time — years in large old Slavonian oak casks, more years in bottle before release, and an indifference to market timing that only absolute conviction in the quality of the wine can sustain.

The organic farming at Case Basse predates Italy's certification infrastructure. Soldera did not farm without chemistry because the movement told him to; he farmed without chemistry because chemistry was incompatible with the kind of wine he was trying to make. A tragic act of sabotage in 2012 — in which 62,000 litres of wine from multiple vintages were drained from Soldera's barrels — destroyed wines that collectors considered irreplaceable. The estate rebuilt and continued.

The Brunello di Montalcino from Case Basse has drawn 98 points from Wine Advocate and Vinous, placing it among the half-dozen most celebrated wines in Italy. The yields are among the lowest in Montalcino, the vine age among the highest, and the cellar time before release among the longest. Everything about the production model signals that the wine is not made for people in a hurry.

Gianfranco Soldera died in 2019. The estate is managed by his family with the same standards intact.