Carl Steefel
Carl Steefel
At Flour+Water, we had them open the 2005 Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco 2:30 and we started drinking it closer to 6:30 PM, so about 4 hours in the decanter.
As before, I found the Bea to be more delicate and nuanced than one might expect given the overall reputation of Sagrantino (e.g., Caprai is probably the other extreme here, with its backward and at least initially largely monolithic character). On the nose, dried cherries and cherry blossoms, with a faint musty aroma that suggested damp earth. In the mouth, this shows an almost candied cherry character which comes across (perhaps surprisingly) as light on its feet, in fact downright elegant. The attack is sweet and detailed, with some lingering tannins emerging on the persistent finish. The grip and focus on the finish is very good, but I expect some more bottle age will further intensify this wine.
Alongside it we had the 1997 Percarlo Tuscana Rosso (100% Sangiovese, I think?), which despite being opened about 5 hours in advance, had a slower start than the Bea. However with about 1/2 hour to 1 hour in the glass, this strengthened and intensified considerably, with dark cherry and balsamico aromas emerging on the nose while the sour cherry flavors intensified and focused in the mouth. By the end of the pasta dominated meal, this was showing the best length and palate intensity. Incredible intensity, with a laser like focus on the mid-palate, and an explosion of Sangiovese inner mouth perfume. A beautiful bottle...
As before, I found the Bea to be more delicate and nuanced than one might expect given the overall reputation of Sagrantino (e.g., Caprai is probably the other extreme here, with its backward and at least initially largely monolithic character). On the nose, dried cherries and cherry blossoms, with a faint musty aroma that suggested damp earth. In the mouth, this shows an almost candied cherry character which comes across (perhaps surprisingly) as light on its feet, in fact downright elegant. The attack is sweet and detailed, with some lingering tannins emerging on the persistent finish. The grip and focus on the finish is very good, but I expect some more bottle age will further intensify this wine.
Alongside it we had the 1997 Percarlo Tuscana Rosso (100% Sangiovese, I think?), which despite being opened about 5 hours in advance, had a slower start than the Bea. However with about 1/2 hour to 1 hour in the glass, this strengthened and intensified considerably, with dark cherry and balsamico aromas emerging on the nose while the sour cherry flavors intensified and focused in the mouth. By the end of the pasta dominated meal, this was showing the best length and palate intensity. Incredible intensity, with a laser like focus on the mid-palate, and an explosion of Sangiovese inner mouth perfume. A beautiful bottle...