Toscana Sangiovese Soldera 2012

The wine in this vintage

2012 in Montalcino brought a hot, dry summer relieved by timely rain near harvest, producing concentrated but balanced wines. It was also the year Case Basse's cellar suffered the serious act of vandalism that destroyed several vintages in cask, making bottles from this period all the more precious. The 2012 Soldera Toscana Sangiovese shows cherry, pomegranate, citrus, rose, dried herbs and balsamic notes, with a deep, silky palate of great length. Jancis Robinson rated it 18.5/20. It is in a harmonious phase and can be enjoyed now, but still has years of evolution ahead.

The producer · Case Basse Soldera

Case Basse is the estate that Gianfranco Soldera, a Milanese insurance broker, bought in 1972 south-west of Montalcino and turned into one of the world's cult addresses for Sangiovese. A few hectares of vines, including the celebrated Intistieti, are surrounded by woods, hedgerows and a garden designed to foster biodiversity: for Soldera, wine was born of a healthy ecosystem before it ever reached the cellar. The winemaking is equally radical: Sangiovese only, spontaneous fermentations, no corrective interventions and long ageing in large Slavonian oak casks, with bottling only when the wine is ready. For decades Case Basse produced a legendary Brunello and Riserva; after the 2012 act of vandalism that destroyed several vintages in cask, Soldera left the Consorzio and later wines have been labelled Toscana IGT Sangiovese. Since Gianfranco's death in 2019, his wife Graziella and their children have continued the work with the same uncompromising spirit. The result is rare, deeply individual wines of extraordinary transparency and longevity.

Critics' scores

• 18.5/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Case Basse Soldera

Region

Toscana

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2012

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0570112