100% Sangiovese Soldera Case Basse Toscana IGP 2020

Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera | Tuscany
Soc. Agr. Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera | Loc. Case Basse | IT 53024 Montalcino

In 1970, Gianfranco Soldera bought the Podere Case Basse outside Montalcino – a man with no background in wine, with the unconditional will to make the purest Sangiovese in the world. What he has built up over five decades is not just a winery, but a world view: no herbicides, no chemicals, no adulteration. The cellar is 14 metres underground, built exclusively from natural materials. Spontaneous fermentation in over 100-hectolitre vats made of Slavonian oak, exclusively with isolated natural yeasts from the winery. Large wood, no filtration, no intervention that is not mandatory. Gianfranco Soldera died in January 2019, but his daughter Monica, her husband Gianpaolo Franco and her brother Mauro continue to run the estate and its principles unchanged.

The 2020 is the second vintage to be produced entirely under her leadership. It comes from ten hectares of south-west-facing vines on slatey galestro and marine calcareous tufa soils – a geology that combines depth, transparency and mineral uniqueness in a single grape. 2020 was warm and generous. Eric Guido wrote after the tasting: "I can't remember a young Soldera that has ever shown so much energy and vitality." And he doesn't mean it as a warning, but as a promise.

Deep, bright ruby red colour. Crushed cherry, rose blossom, lavender, a hint of clove and exotic spice on the nose – lively, layered, with a freshness you wouldn't expect. Silky and round on the palate, with a blend of ripe strawberry and blueberry, cool minerality, a contrasting hint of sour citrus and crisp tannins – and crisp tannins that consolidate the endless final without slowing it down. Complexity and drinking pleasure in rare unity. SUPERIORE.DE

"On tasting, the 2020 Soldera Case Basse displays a soft, structured profile with beautifully polymerised tannins that provide a taut sounding board for notes of cassis, small berry fruits, violets and crushed stone. Made by spontaneous fermentation in oversized barrels and carefully aged in the family cellars in silence and darkness, this soulful wine remains true to the spirit of Sangiovese, characterised by clarity and finesse. The 2020 vintage has an accessible, open character that suits it well and clearly distinguishes it from the more austere 2019 and the super-precise 2021. In this context, the 2020 offers a softer, more delicate interlude between the two." Wine Advocate