Description
Paolo Bea is to Montefalco as Biondi Santi is to Montalcino and Gaja to Piemonte. Bea's wines are the most coveted from the Montefalco region. Like Gaja, Bea produces wines in "his" style, take it or leave it. There are a great many fans of the Paolo Bea style that "take it" as evidenced by the scarcity of his wines.
This Sagrantino in this cuvee is from the younger vines that make the Pagliaro. Like the other Bea wines, the long maceration creates a deeply pigmented brooding wine. It is structured and complex with dark fruits, cocoa, camphor, and a woodsy note. Decant this for at least an hour, or forget about it for 10 years.
Vinous
The 2018 Rosso de Veo is exotic, mixing crushed stone mineral tones with blackberries and dusty dried flowers. This is cool-toned and racy, sleek and slender, impressing with its vibrancy and saline-tinged wild berry fruits as violet florals cascade toward the close. Grippy Sagrantino tannins linger through the finish, yet the balance here is off the charts, as the 2018 tapers off potent yet still aiming to please. Forty-five days of maceration on the harmonious beauty, which also finished at a respectable 14% abv. Give this a short stay in the cellar and then reap the rewards.
Grapes: 65% Sagrantino, 25% Sangiovese, 10% Montepulciano
ABV 14.5%
Maceration: from 30 to 40 days
Wine maturation: at least 12 months in stainless steel, at least 24 in large Slavonian Oak barrels at least 12 months in bottle
Characteristics: balanced, round, dry, harmonious
Recommended pairing: cold cuts, pasta dishes, roasted red meats and cheeses
