December 7, 2023 - Popped in AM. Decanted 4 hours then back in bottle another slow ox few more hours and finally got to it after several other bottle tasting. Suffered in comparison to some high end napa cabs/ bordeaux. This wine is tannic. Need much more time to resolve. Many years likely. Some dark fruit, underbrush florsl component. Not very enjoyable now
October 20, 2023 - Very elemental. Perfumed nose with crushed flowers, rose, cherry, palate is quite Volcanic, stony, iron and a heavy tannin note especially with air. Complexity is there although quite rustic.
April 22, 2023 - Delicious after a 5-hour decant, and a great accompaniment to rib roast. The wine continued to open up at dinner and at the end, the tannins were quite assertive and drying. This wine has just entered its drinking window and could easily last another 25 years, perhaps more.
February 16, 2023 - Stunning Sagrantino with dark plummy notes, smoke, wild forest underbrush and shrooms but with a certain elegance; seamless, fine, powerful, long. Osteria Mozza w/B&B
January 19, 2023 - This is beginning to drink very well but seems to have plenty of improvement ahead of it. Somewhat less rustic than the other Bea wines, this does have a slightly animalistic nose with briar fruit and wild herbs on the palate but the wine is more graceful and high-toned than the Pagliaro. A big, feral wine that will need to be paired appropriately. I absolutely love this.
June 21, 2022 - Deep ruby color. Pronounced nose of ripe black cherry, redcurrant, soft cedar and wet bramble. Dry, high acidity, medium+ tannins, medium+ alcohol, full body, palate follows through, long finish.
June 17, 2022 - Under the Umbrian Sun; 6/11/2022-6/19/2022: Again one of the few Paolo Bea offerings I’ve not tried. This is from the highest vineyard in Montefalco and has extra year in botte vs the Pagliaro
Nose of red cherry, lifted blue plum, sage, a little blood / ferrous element
Incredibly intense on the palate, I can see why this is considered Paolo Bea’s “top wine” - dark plum, deep redcurrant, black tea, however this has the most overwhelming tannins of any wine I’ve had.
A four hour double decant and the application of a lot of bistecca tamed these enough to get a glimpse of brilliance. In reality this needs at least another 10 years but then will be quite something but for me the Pagliaro is more impressive.
October 21, 2021 - An intense wine as I would expect from Bea with strong acidity. There are lovely flavors of smoked Cherrywood and minerals with a slightly feral quality in a good way. The finish is still tannic and dry with a complex crunch with notes of licorice and slate. Not sure where this is going but perhaps needs more time. Fascinating juice but my preference is for the Pagliaro in his stable.
September 11, 2021 - This is fantastic, but it needs a ton of air. We decanted for 4 hours, drank half, and then poured the rest back into the bottle and recorked. On day 1, deep, chalky dark cherry but clearly very closed and dense—tannins not as bad as one would imagine, but unsatisfying to drink. Day 2, lovely soft herbs, baked cherry, lemon zest, warm earth, strawberry rhubarb.
Is this (or, rather, will it someday become) worth the premium over the pagliaro? I’m not sure—if you are more patient than me and can wait, let me know.
July 13, 2021 - Slow ox for one hour. It wasn’t enough. I would decant this for a few hours. The nose is fantastic with black cherry, flowers and some meaty and spicy notes coming through. The wine is concentrated, full bodied, and structured with substantial tannin still evident but at the same time has excellent acidity and balance. You can already tell this is going to be a great wine but it needs more time to evolve.