1991 Soldera (Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 1991 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva has no problem following the 1990. A wine of delicacy and finesse, the 1991 is ethereal, translucent and wonderfully expressive right out of the gate. Orange peel, chalk, mint, cinnamon and kirsch lend an exotic flair that is impossible to miss. The 1991 is such an eye-opening Brunello. Among Soldera cognoscenti, the 1991 Riserva is a sort of unicorn. I have had it only a few times but have never encountered such a pristine example. Sublime.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Soldera's 1991 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is forward, open-knit an mostly resolved, with plenty of stone fruit, leather, smoke, tobacco and earthy notes laced throughout. Although quite pretty and enjoyable, the 1991 Riserva is a wine that has arrived. It won't get any better or more expressive than it is today.
In 1991, things get a little more confusing. The 1991 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (from Intistieti fruit) is better. This is a pretty wine, but it reveals some hard edges and an advanced, forward expression in its fruit. According to Soldera, 1992 was not a vintage important enough to make Brunello, so he declassified his entire production and released it as Intistieti. Despite the weak vintage, Soldera still gave his wine 4 full years of oak, so this wine is effectively a Brunello for all practical reasons, except name.
The 1991 Intistieti was deeply flawed and impossible to evaluate, but the 1991 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva was better. It was a pretty wine, but revealed some hard edges and an advanced, forward expression of fruit.
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.