Paolo Bea 2016 Montefalco Rosso Riserva Pipparello

60% Sangiovese, 25% Montepulciano, and 15% Sagrantino. Wild cherry, plum, black raspberry, sandalwood, herbs, spices, and turned soil. Intense and dramatic flavors with a good bite of tannin. This singular wine is hard to compare for a reference point for first timers, but if I had to liken it to something more familiar, I’d say it’s like an untamed Brunello from the other side of the tracks. Organic.

The Pipparello vineyard is a hilltop site in Montefalco at 1300 feet above sea level. The soil is clay and gravel. The vines in the vineyard are a minimum of 20 years old. Harvest takes place normally during the middle of October. The ultimate wine is a blend of roughly 60% Sangiovese, 25% Montepulciano and 15% Sagrantino. The cuvaison extends for a period between 40 to 50 days. After the alcoholic fermentation this wine spends a year in stainless steel tanks and then two years in large oak barrels and is released after an additional year of bottle-aging.