Brunello di Montalcino Case Basse 1979 Soldera

Professional reviews

Vinous (95)

Soldera's 1979 Brunello di Montalcino is a fabulous conclusion to this part of the dinner. This is my last bottle, and I can't think of anyone I would rather share it with than my friends around the table. Even today, the 1979 remains fresh, pristine and vibrant. Soldera's wines would become more polished in the 1980s and 1990s, but the 1979 never fails to deliver the goose bumps. A few years ago I bought some older Solderas going back to the 1977, the first vintage, for a nearly complete vertical we did at Alto. I took two bottles each of the 1977 and 1979 to the tasting and opened the bottles that looked best. That left me with low-fill bottles of the 1977 and 1979 that I have only gotten around to drinking recently. Amazingly, the two bottles with the lower fills turned out to be better, even with a few more years of age! Go figure. The 1979 is simply mesmerizing and an eloquent reminder of why we cellar wines in the first place. Tasted 2013.