Paolo Bea Arboreus 2017

Paolo Bea Arboreus 2017

Paolo Bea
$75.00

Grape: Trebbiano Spoletino
Vintage: 2017
Type: Orange

This orange wine is trebbiano spoletino from vines well over 100 years old in Umbria's Spoleto valley, trained the ancient way up the trunks of maple trees. Paolo Bea's 2017 fruit was destemmed and fermented on its skins for 29 days, then left on its first lees for 143 days. Fermentation was spontaneous with no temperature control, sulfur was used only at the 3 rackings and bottling, and the wine was bottled without sterile filtration. Only 6,393 bottles were made.

It pours a deep golden amber, opening with dried apricot, orange peel, and chamomile. On the palate, the full-bodied frame balances ripe stone fruit with a firm, tannic grip from the skins. Honey, beeswax, and a savory, nutty note sit underneath. A bright line of acidity holds it together. It finishes long, dry, and complex.

Winery

Paolo Bea is one of the great reference points for traditional, natural-minded wine in Umbria. Based in Montefalco, the Bea family farms Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Montepulciano and local white varieties with a deep respect for mixed agriculture and the rhythms of the farm. The wines are fermented spontaneously, often macerated for long periods, bottled without filtration and released only when they feel ready. They can be powerful, tannic and uncompromising, but they also carry warmth, honesty and a profound connection to place. Bea's wines are not designed to flatter quickly; they ask the drinker to meet them on their own terms.