'Bea'titudes, Part 1

scottreiner

scottreiner

scott reiner
2008 Umbria Bianco 'Santa Chiara'. This is a field blend of Grecchetto, Malvasia, Sauvignon Blanc, Garganega, and Chardonnay. There is no blending, all grapes are co-fermented. The grapes spend 20 days on the skin. The wine had great acidity with a little tannic grip. It is golden in color and slightly cloudy. The predominant flavors are apricot, nuts and herbs.

2006 Umbia Bianco 'Arboreus'. This is made from 100 + year old vines of a very rare grape called Trebbiano Spoletino. Here the wines spend 36 days on average on the skins. But, every year 1%-3% of the grapes are taken aside after harvest and placed on straw mats, think of Amarone, for 6 months! After that time they are pressed and added to the rest of the juice from the vintage. This wine is truly unlike anything you have ever had. Dry and rich and mellow and exuberant! It has, there is no other word, PRESENCE!!!

2006 Umbria Rosso 'San Valentino'. At this point, I must tell you a sad/happy story, it will all depend on your perspective. Usually this wine would have been called Montefalco Rosso 'Vigna San Valentino', but the DOC decided that the wine was a bit too light in color and was slightly oxidized. So, it had to be declassified. This can be considered sad because this is happening more and more in Europe today: the greatest wines in specific regions are being considered 'atypical' because they are better than their neighbors and as a result are being stripped of their status and must be sold under a less prestigious name. This can be considered happy because since this wine is being sold as an Umbria Rosso and not a Montefalco Rosso it is almost half the price! Let me be clear here. This is not a second class effort. This is the greatest producer in Montefalco producing astoundingly good juice, that because of the idiocy of the Italian wine system can be sold retail for $30 a bottle!!!!! Run to your favorite wine store and beg/demand that they carry this item, this is the best $30 bottle I have tasted this year.
 
originally posted by scottreiner:
'Santa Chiara'
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Love that wine.

2006 Umbia Bianco 'Arboreus'. This is made from 100 + year old vines of a very rare grape called Trebbiano Spoletino. Here the wines spend 36 days on average on the skins. But, every year 1%-3% of the grapes are taken aside after harvest and placed on straw mats, think of Amarone, for 6 months! After that time they are pressed and added to the rest of the juice from the vintage. This wine is truly unlike anything you have ever had. Dry and rich and mellow and exuberant! It has, there is no other word, PRESENCE!!!
Click to expand...

Oh, I like that idea. I've not had the wine but there is no reason I can't do something like that.
Best, Jim
 
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Balki from Perfect Strangers recently met with Giampiero Bea (who knew Balki was a wine connoisseur? who knew Balki was still alive?) during Giampiero's visit to New York.

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'Ole "Brown Eyes" Bea told Balki that he was happy to make drinkable wines, and that he did not think of his own as "great." I am told that the humble statement impressed Balki, as his experience of famous winemakers often runs counter to this.

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Giampiero also shared that he has wines aged in an improvised solera at his winery that he has been experimenting with but that haven't been released for commercial sale.

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Giampiero further mentioned that the "Santa Chiara" has seen progressive levels of skin contact with the passing vintages, originally being a wine with contact measured in hours, now being one with contact measured in weeks. The yet unreleased 2009, with the longest maceration time on the skins yet, rings in at 21 days. Longer contact has resulted in a deeper color as well as a thicker texture. Of those vintages that have been released, the 2006 saw the longest maceration.

Giampiero also said that he is dividing his hours between family time devoted to his newborn
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(seen here),
the Montefalco and Lazio wines, a consulting project in Sicilia working with Catarratto and Perricone, and as president of a small natural wine organization that also includes the Cappellano, Maule (La Biancara), and Massa Vecchia wineries.

In passing Giampiero revealed that the first vintage of dry Sagrantino from Bea was the 1994, a somewhat shocking statement actually, and that pure Sagrantino had previously always been Passito. Balki acknowledged that the '94 Bea Sagrantino Secco was drinking quite well today, and deemed it ready to drink and hold.

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Prior to '94, Sagrantino would be either offered in purezza as Passito, as mentioned, or blended with other red grape varieties like Sangiovese to produce a dry red table wine, like this 1990.

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Also, did you know that Veo as in Rosso de Veo indicates "Bea" in the local Umbrian dialect? Balki didn't.
 
Please pass along our utmost thanks to Mr. Bartokomous for his deep coverage into the Bea underworld. Capturing covert video conferences and deciphering hidden word meanings. It's all fantastically fantastic.
 
Thanks for the post, Levi. Scott, do the official classifications have that much of an effect on where someone like Bea chooses to price his wine? I imagine the family name alone could sell out the vintage at much more than $30, but I could easily be mistaken.
 
I was in Umbria last August and very few of the people I met there who dealt in wine had ever heard of Paolo Bea.

The only place I was able to drink a bottle of the Arboreus was in Montefalco proper. At a joint called l'Alchimista.

I ate most of my meals in restaurants recommended by the Slow Food Guide. How come Bea doesn't have more fans in the region?

Is most of his production exported?
 
thanks levi for reminding me of the vini verdi group. members of the group whose wine i have never tried:

mlecnik vaiter
azienda agricola zidarich
azienda agricola princic dario
oasi degli angeli
azienda agricola la castellada di bensa giorgio e nicolo

given the quality of the members that i do know, i assume i should look out for these wines. anyone have any advise?
 
Since they're hard to source in the US, this is prob. useless info: The bianco is very easy to drink, slightly turbid, fresh apricot notes galore, well priced and a good intro orange wine that won't elicit screams of horror from mainstream drinkers. The trebbiano's are hard core, as tannic as can be, but reward lengthy aeration...like even a couple of days. One of the few wines that I've had which can stand up to aioli.
 
originally posted by scottreiner:

2006 Umbria Rosso 'San Valentino'.
.... Run to your favorite wine store and beg/demand that they carry this item, this is the best $30 bottle I have tasted this year.
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This is lovely, thanks for the recommendation. $27, lugged home from Garnet to Brooklyn.
 
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