Paolo Bea, 'Pagliaro' Secco, Sagrantino di Montefalco IGT, Italy, 2018

Overview of the Wine
References in the archives of Montefalco, the beautiful hill town in Umbria, document the presence of the Bea family in this locality as early as 1500. This tiny estate is the classic Italian fattoria, producing wine, raising farm animals for trade and home consumption and working the land to produce olives, fruits and vegetables. To this day, the Bea family raises and produces much of what they consume on a daily basis. Paolo Bea, the senior member of the family, is the guiding force behind the production of this series of intense and idiosyncratic wines. He is assisted by his two sons, Giuseppe, who farms the vineyards, and Giampiero, who assists in the vinification and is responsible for all commercial aspects of the winery.

Organic and Biodynamic.

Grape / Blend
Sagrantino

Origin
Sagrantino di Montefalco IGT, Italy

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The fabled local grape of Montefalco is the Sagrantino and the Pagliaro vineyard, situated at 1300 feet in altitude, is dedicated in large part to this grape variety. The harvest of Sagrantino normally occurs during the second half of October. The cuvaison extends for forty to fifty days. The wines is then aged for one year in stainless steel, another two years in large Slavonian oak barrels and, finally, spends one more year in bottle (the wine, like all Bea wines, is unfiltered) before release. Annual production from the Pagliaro vineyard is 15,000 to 20,000 bottles. 

Full of dark fruit aromas like black cherries, blackberries and currants. Dry, full-bodied and structured with exquisitely ripened character. Paolo's wines speak for themselves: honest and made to live through the ages.

95 Points - Vinous
The 2018 Montefalco Sagrantino Pagliaro is coy in the glass, slowly awakening with a mentholated blend of crushed blackberries, sage and flowery underbrush. It flows across the palate with ease, silky and round with bright red and black fruits underscored by salty mineral tones and exotic spice. This leaves a balsamic flourish through the finale, along with crunchy tannins that create a push and pull of youthful tension as hints of dried cherries slowly taper off. While stepping lightly, the 2018 is nearly sultry in style, tempting the imagination with what further maturity will bring.

Product size: 750ml