Gianfranco Soldera purchased the 24-hectare Case Basse estate in 1972, planting roughly half the property to vines. Located at 320 metres on the south-western side of the Montalcino commune, the estate is designed as a true ecosystem. Alongside his wife Graziella and daughter Monica, Soldera cultivated an extraordinary biodiversity: seven hectares of woodland, an extensive rose garden, an orchard of 200 crab apple trees, and a pond. This commitment to ecological harmony extends into the vineyards, where every practice is geared toward preserving the integrity of the ancient, friable schist-based soils.

The winery itself lies deep underground and is constructed to allow natural air flow and maintain a constant relative humidity of around 85%, reminiscent of the approach seen at Dominus. Since the 1980s, fermentations have been carried out in large, old Slavonian oak vats, lasting about a month and using only free-run juice, without the aid of temperature control.

Soldera’s philosophy centres on the conviction that time is the ultimate ingredient in crafting great wine. As a result, maturation occurs in 25-hectolitre Slavonian botti for as long as six years. The wines that emerge from Case Basse stand among the most pure, refined, and ethereal interpretations of Brunello di Montalcino.