Today’s wine may be nominally attached to an appellation (Montefalco) and a region (Umbria), but it really exists on its own little island. There may be familiar language on the label, but there are no useful “comps” for Paolo Bea wines other than previous vintages of Paolo Bea wines. Because the adjective “amazing” is applied so liberally and lazily, I’m reluctant to use it, but in this case, it’s apt: Bea wines have the capacity to amaze.
If you’re lucky enough to obtain a few bottles of today’s offering, the 2016 “San Valentino,” try to resist the urge to drink it right away. If you can’t wait, at least spend some time with it. Decant it and watch it shape-shift in the glass. Save some for re-visiting the next day, and the day after that. These are such layered and powerful reds you won’t believe their stamina. There was a time when the Beas labeled their single-vineyard “San Valentino” with the Montefalco Rosso DOC, but no more, and it’s just as well, because there’s nothing else like it. Combining 40% Sagrantino, 40% Sangiovese, and 20% Montepulciano and aged for more than four years before release, today’s 2016 is a typical Bea tour de force, equal parts untamed and refined. Although we managed a bigger allocation than usual this year, it’s still going to be a scrum—up to six bottles per person until it’s gone!
NOTE: Today's wine is only available as a pre-offer. We expect this parcel to arrive in our warehouse by the end of October.
Although it’s dad Paolo’s name that still graces the heavily annotated label, Giampiero Bea has been at the helm of this farmstead estate for decades now. As a founder of a producers’ association called ViniVeri (“real wine”) Bea has been an outspoken advocate for natural methods in the vineyards and cellar, biodiversity, and, as his importer puts it, “non-engagement with professional critics.” There’s a kind of “noble savage” quality to Bea’s reds: they ferment spontaneously, without temperature control, on ambient yeasts; are subjected to lengthy macerations on their skins; are subjected to extra-long aging periods in both barrels and bottle before release; and are bottled unfined and unfiltered. As Bea devotees know, this is the natural wine high-wire act, which the Beas have been refining longer than most; nevertheless, the wines are not squeaky clean or flashy. Instead they are alive and ever-changing, with lots of saturated dark fruit supported by profound minerality.
In addition to their five hectares of wine grapes, the Beas grow olives, vegetables, grains, and raise animals as well. It is a self-sustaining organic farm whose vinous calling card is the muscular Sagrantino grape, the specialty of the area around Montefalco in Central Umbria. Like most producers in the region, Bea produces blended wines to complement their “varietal” Sagrantinos, of which “San Valentino” is one: It is named for a single vineyard which contains some of the farm’s younger plantings, as well as some older plantings ranging in age from 40-50 years. The Sagrantino, Sangiovese, and Montepulciano for this wine were co-fermented in stainless steel and underwent a 41-day skin maceration—which, amazingly, didn’t result in a harshly tannic wine at all. No doubt part of this 2016s powerful but refined structure is the time it spent maturing before it was bottled: two years in steel tanks followed by two more in large Slavonian oak botti.
The Sagrantino grape, which is notorious for having some of the highest levels of polyphenols (tannins/color pigments) of any wine grape in the world, provides the black fruit, roasted meat, and wintry spice notes in the San Valentino blend. Reminiscent of everything from Cornas-grown Syrah to California Zinfandel, Sagrantino is one of the many Italian varieties that belongs to just one region of Italy—in this case a small patch of Central Umbria, where it grows on low, rolling hills of clay, gravel, and sand over limestone bedrock. Umbria has quite a few rivers snaking through its territory (including the Tevere, or Tiber, which flows down through Rome), so much of the soil is of “alluvial” origin.
Even when combined with the woodsier, higher-acid Sangiovese and the velvety Montepulciano, the Sagrantino component still shines through here: The wine displays a deep, nearly opaque garnet-red hue and lots of tarry, spicy notes up front, then begins to toggle back and forth between black and red fruit sensations—black plum, Morello cherry, black currant, allspice, ground espresso, licorice, turned earth and a hint of smoke. As is always the case with this wine, it is full-bodied, tannic, and full of freshness; it’s surprising how nimble the wine is given its immense concentration, but again, at least 60 minutes in a decanter is a must if you’re enjoying a bottle now. Otherwise, try to forget a bottle or two for re-discovery in 5-7 years and beyond. It’s got decades of potential. For service, I’d opt for large Bordeaux stems, a cool temperature (60 degrees), and something meaty and rich to go with it. There’s nothing I can think of that will overpower this wine, so have at it. Enjoy!
