Gianfranco Soldera - Case Basse Toscana 2009 (Pre-arrival) (750ml)
Price: $895.00
| Producer | Gianfranco Soldera |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Tuscany |
| Varietal | Sangiovese |
| Vintage | 2009 |
| Sku | 1554136 |
| Size | 750ml |
Vinous: 92-95 Points
"Soldera's next release is the 2009 Toscana Sangiovese which is still in cask. The raciness warmth and overall intensity of the year come through in a powerful structured wine that still needs time to fully come together. The tannins remain quite imposing but I am inclined to think the 2009 will open up earlier than is typically the case here. We will see. I remember visiting Case Basse in the summer of 2009 a few weeks before this fruit was harvested. It is fascinating to taste the 2009 again from cask a few months before it goes into bottle. "
vWine Advocate: 94 Points
There is a lot of mystery and mystique surrounding the current wine program spearheaded by Gianfranco Soldera. According to the latest information I have Case Basse produced 36 hectoliters of IGT wine in 2009 only four hectoliters in 2010 17 hectoliters in 2011 124 hectoliters in 2012 127 hectoliters in 2013 and 68 hectoliters in 2014. Given those radically inconsistent production numbers I suspect we won't see this wine in retail again until the 2012 vintage is released. On the market now you might find the 2009 100% Sangiovese if you are extremely lucky. This is by far the vintage I prefer most since this pure expression of Sangiovese lost its Brunello di Montalcino status. As an IGT the wine is streamlined and silky. Fruit flavors of wild cherry dried apple and aniseed are radiant and glossy. The wine packs mild volatile acidity that adds to its aromatic intensity and presentation. This vintage gives me cause to believe in the cult of Soldera. I tasted this wine with the people attached to the palates I respect most: my colleagues Erin Brooks Joe Czerwinski Luis Gutiérrez William Kelley and Stephan Reinhardt. Earlier in the day I dropped 459 pounds sterling to purchase this bottle at Hedonism Wines in London. I packed it into my purse and carried it over to the Noble Rot Wine Bar & Restaurant where I met my colleagues for dinner. We shared appetizers and a bizarre flatfish that had been cooked briefly over the grill. I opened the bottle as we picked away at the soft meat of that delicious fish. We chatted away happily and exchanged tasting war stories from the various regions we cover. Without dropping names I will say that two colleagues liked the wine more than I did two shared my own assessment within a two-point range and one pointedly flunked it. I am including all this color for a good reason: this is realistically the only way you can taste Gianfranco Soldera's controversial wines today. He sells almost exclusively to private clients and just a handful of bottles make it into the retail market. I think Hedonism Wines in London was allocated a mere six bottles and I was lucky to find one to buy for review. Tasting at the estate requires especially thick skin (as insults do fly) and despite my efforts I no longer find Soldera's current vintages in Italian wine shops. I suspect he no longer sells them in his own country. He has reportedly fought with all of the wine merchants in Montalcino. For these reasons I doubt I will be able to taste and review the wines from Case Basse in the upcoming years with any level of consistency. I will of course try. The lack of transparency from the estate makes the task almost impossible. However I will say that this bottle of the 2009 100% Sangiovese did award enormous pleasure on an evening that I will forever remember with extreme fondness. Published: Jan 31 2019
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