2017 Paolo Bea "Pagliaro Secco" Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG, Umbria, Italy (750ml)   

As with the Pipparello Vineyard, the Pagliaro Vineyard is also situated on top of a hill at 1,300 feet above sea level on Paolo Bea's 15 hectare organic poly-culture farm in Umbria.

However, unlike Pipparello, Pagliaro is primarily planted to and focused on the Sagrantino grape. And just like most of Bea's wines, this 2011 Pagliaro Secco was aged for one year in stainless steel tanks, two years in neutral large Slovenian oak casks and one more year in bottle before it's released. Paolo's almost 40 years of making wine has allowed him to become one of the few to master the difficult process of producing palatable wines made from the Sagrantino grape, and his Sagrantino di Montefalco is absolutely the gold standard for the appellation. Given the concentration of Sagrantino, this 'Secco' (Dry) Pagliaro has tremendous tannic structure as well as very well saturated dark red and black fruited flavors to go along with its firmness. The complexity of this wine is revealed in its bouquet with an ever evolving stream of delightful, earthy and bright aromas. With time and a little air, the fruit on the medium to fuller bodied palate opens up into a silky stream of deliciousness and admirable focus. We could go on and on but really you just need to try it for yourself! The Bea family history dates back to the 1500s in the beautiful hilltop town of Montefalco, in Umbria, Italy. Their tiny estate has been a working farm for centuries, producing wine, raising animals, growing olives, fruits and vegetables for trade and their own consumption. Paolo Bea started bottling wine in 1980 and has continued his family's tradition of "natural" winemaking; not using any chemical or artificial intervention in the vineyard or the winery, observing the phases of the moon and respecting nature without "dominating" it. Paolo Bea wines are extremely limited and rather hard to come across. We are delighted to be able to sell them and do so proudly.