2005 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Community Tasting Notes (32) Avg Score: 94.8 points

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  4/3/2024 - LB88 wrote: 94 Points

  Drinking this next to the 2004 and just proves once again that winemaking changed between these 2 vintages. The 2004 was more rustic more in the style of Brunello de Montalcino while the 2005 was more radiant, fresh, floral and powerful.

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  12/30/2023 - Satoshi Nakamoto Likes this wine: 95 Points

  I’ve had a lot of lackluster $500+ bottles in my life, but Soldera is worth its market value. Aromatic and complex with Burgundian elegance. Dried florals, fragrant spices, and dark cherries. Amazing texture, balance, and finish.

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  12/30/2023 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Opened in HK. P&P and enjoyed immediately.
  
  This was much cleaner than the other bottle of this I had earlier this month. Beautiful seductive Soldera nose - there's just nothing quite like it - and it got better with small fresh pours. Unfortunately, with many people around the table, this just got gobbled up. But this was definitely better than my last one and solidly deserving of a 94.
  
  Alas, this is just a weak vintage. Everything can be dialled up more and I know Soldera can be even better. I think this is on the cusp of starting to go downhill, so if you have these in your cellar I'd recommend drinking up. Thanks to DrL for the wonderful treat!

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  12/29/2023 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points

  At 17 years, this Brunello is showing well, with the layered complexity as a highlight and it is quite accessible with its tannins structure nicely mellowed. A balanced, elegant creature. Yet it doesn't quite match the finesse of top Burgundies or Rayas, to which it's often compared. Nevertheless, this particular Soldera bottle was the most convincing I've tasted yet. Worth the price tag? Not to me (but price is not considered for my rating).
  
  TN: Intense and vibrant, from the first sniff to the long finish. An array of red cherry aromas, from fresh to deeply ripe (cherry liquor) are at the core, enhanced by an enchanting rosehip layer and a rich herbal essence, highlighted by unmistakable tomato leaf notes. The intense earthy minerality adds to its depth. Its complexity is striking, with each aroma sharply defined. Ripe, quality tannins have softened beautifully, leaving a smooth, almost velvety texture. Well-structured acidity underpins its harmony. Quite complete.
  
  Decanting: No extensive decanting needed, good from the go (but we enjoyed it in a higher altitude location which usually helped to mellow the structure).

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  12/2/2023 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Opened in HK. Drank across two sessions.
  
  The first session was after slow-oxing for roughly 1 hour. The classic Soldera seductiveness was slightly masked behind a barnyard earthiness - it didn't feel too clean, and definitely took away a bit from the enjoyment. As such we decided to let it breathe in the bottle for a few hours before revisiting, in the hopes that some of those less pleasant notes would blow off.
  
  Thankfully, after 7 hours of slowly breathing in the bottle, this was much better. Not quite as sweet as the 2008 or the 2016s that I had recently, but the nose had cleaned up and the palate was wonderfully soft, supple and long-lasting.
  
  A beautiful wine. Not the best Soldera I've ever had, and probably somewhere in between 93-94, but I'm happy to be generous on this occasion given how much I love this wine. Would be interested to revisit and see if other bottles also have that slight barnyard earthiness. Otherwise, will keep for a bit, but for my tastes I'd start drinking up.
  
  As always, thanks to M for sharing!

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