1979 Brunello di Montalcino
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Tasting notes
The 1979 Brunello di Montalcino is delicate and lifted in feel. Sweet red cherry, tobacco, cinnamon, crushed flowers and mint are some of the notes that open first. All the elements are very nicely balanced. In this tasting, the 1979 comes across as a touch more forward than I recall, but then again, a few years have passed since I last tasted this. I suspect the 1979 has arrived at its peak. There is no upside to cellaring bottles further.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
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.
Over the years, I have been fortunate to taste just about every wine from Case Basse. The 1979 Brunello di Montalcino, the second vintage made, remains a personal favorite. Tasted from magnum, the 1979 boasts incredible depth, power and pure resonance. Savory herb, tobacco and floral Sangiovese notes open up in the glass, but the 1979 is above all else a wine of texture. Today, the 1979 is flat-out stunning. Sadly, all my bottles are gone...
The 1979 Brunello di Montalcino is noticeably sweeter and riper than the 1977, with generous notes of tar, licorice, dark cherries and spices.
About the producer
Soldera is one of the most highly rated, fiercely collected wines of Italy. The winery is based in the Brunello di Montalcino, however the estate is no longer labelled as a Brunello, following a fall out with the consortium. Made from 100% Sangiovese, the wine is currently bottled as a Toscana IGT.