Case Basse - Toscana 'Soldera' IGT - 2019

This is the first vintage produced after the death of vintner Gianfranco Soldera at 82 years old on February 16, 2019. His family took over farming and winemaking, and the Soldera Case Basse 2019 100% Sangiovese is an enduring symbol of that painful transition. This is an extremely elegant wine that defies the simplicity of the process used to make it. Grapes are destemmed and fermented as whole berries in oversize truncated cone-shaped Slavonian oak vats with native yeasts. The wine ages slowly and uninterrupted, depending on the vintage, for four years in large oak botte. It is bottled without filtering, and this vintage rested in glass for six months before its commercial release in 2024. Natural and straightforward winemaking results in delicate and ethereal notes of redcurrant, iris root and fragrant tea leaf. The power of the fruit, especially those tart cherry nuances, is more prominent in the 2019 vintage that also succeeds in providing more textural heft and importance to the mid-palate. The 2019 vintage should prove especially well-suited to prolonged cellar aging. 98+ Points Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate