Paolo Bea Pipparello Montefalco Rosso Riserva 2018

Paolo Bea Pipparello Montefalco Rosso Riserva 2018

Paolo Bea
$96.00

Grape: Sagrantino
Vintage: 2018
Type: Red

This reserve red wine comes from the Pipparello vineyard, a hilltop site in Montefalco situated thirteen-hundred feet above sea level. The Bea family blends sixty percent sangiovese, twenty-five percent montepulciano, and fifteen percent sagrantino from mature vines rooted in clay and gravel. The winemaking features an extended forty-to-fifty day skin maceration driven by native wild yeasts in neutral vats. It ages one year in stainless steel and two years in large neutral oak barrels prior to final bottle settling.

It pours a deep ruby color with garnet reflections, opening with a complex nose of wild black cherries, tobacco leaf, and violets. On the palate, the medium-to-full-bodied frame is juicy and structured, balancing concentrated fruit with a firm line of fine-grained tannins. Savory layers of iron, cedar, and damp earth fold into a dense mouthfeel that shows excellent depth. It finishes dry, leaving a persistent trace.

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.