2001 Soldera (Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Condition:
Soldera’s 2001 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is just as it was when I tasted it from barrel last year, which is to say monumental. This silky-textured Brunello offers an array of crushed flowers, spices and deeply-layered dark red fruit in a style that manages to be both delicate and powerful at the same time. Deceptively medium-bodied at this stage, it appears to be holding back much of its potential but will be a remarkable wine in another decade or so. This is a superb effort from Montalcino’s most eccentric producer. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2031. ... IWC 96 (6/2007): Medium-deep brilliant ruby. Extremely complex nose offers very sweet ripe red cherry, high-quality tobacco, leather and delicate Oriental spices, all given added freshness by a touch of volatile acidity that Soldera enthusiasts well know to be a trademark of the house. Rich and suave, with extremely concentrated flavors of red cherry and spicy black plum, with complicating notes of vanilla, milk chocolate, smoke, coriander and raspberry jam. This has wonderfully integrated acidity and tannins that are smoother than velvet. The finish goes on into next week, marinating the mouth in a delicately suave yet very rich and concentrated flavor extravaganza. Though not quite at the level of Soldera's 1983 Riserva, one of the four or five greatest wines ever to come out of Italy, this promises to be another hugely successful vintage for this bottling.
WA96