Soldera
Gianfranco Soldera started his career as an insurance broker, but he has always been passionate about the Italian landscape and wines. In the early 1970s, he and his wife Graziella decided to look for the right place to realize this passion. In 1972 they arrived at the Case Basse estate in Montalcino. The estate came with 23 hectares of land, but it had been neglected for many years. However, Case Basse had the perfect location: a south-west orientation, 300 meters above sea level and a gently sloping landscape. In the same year, the couple planted the first hectares with Sangiovese. Their first wine came on the market in 1975 and the company developed rapidly ever since that time.
"The best contribution that man can make to viticulture is to respect the environment." Gianfranco's working method is based on this fundamental principle. Chemical pesticides are never used and the soil is only ever fertilized with organic products. To increase the biodiversity on the estate, Graziella has created a beautiful botanical garden with more than 1,000 different plants and flowers.
The grapes are selected and sorted several times so that only the best berries are used. The fermentation takes place in Slavonian oak where the fermentation starts naturally without the addition of artificial yeasts. This all happens in the cellar designed by architect Stefano Lambardi. This cellar is located 14 meters underground and consists of three rooms: the storage room, vinification room, and of course the maturation cellar. The Sangiovese usually matures for 45 months in wooden barrels of Slavonian oak. Production is around 15,000 bottles per year. This number can also be a lot lower if a year is disappointing caused by bad weather conditions. The 1979 wine is considered the most legendary. Due to the limited edition it can be difficult to get hold of this exquisite wine.
Soldera's best vintages are: 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2015 en 2016.
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