Paolo Bea
Cerrete Sagrantino di Montefalco
Montefalco, Perugia, Umbria, Italy
Planted entirely to Sagrantino, “Cerrete” is a very special vineyard in Montefalco as it occupies the highest point in the DOC where it’s drier and cooler than Pagliaro. Typically, this is Bea’s most dense, most savage expression of Sagrantino di Montefalco. I can confirm that is the case for this wine.
Poured into a decanter about an hour before service; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2010 pours a deep garnet color near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing and, true to varietal form, overwhelmingly sanguine. Remarkable notes of demi-glacé, tart black cherry, and black plum, blood, the smell of a flower nursery’s greenhouse, and dry underbrush. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is impossibly long, iron rich and savory.
An absolutely brutal wine and positively stunning. This is awesome if you have the patience to allow it to open up however this will be better towards the end of this decade and drink well through 2045, easy. Bottle No. 0996/6111.
Planted entirely to Sagrantino, “Cerrete” is a very special vineyard in Montefalco as it occupies the highest point in the DOC where it’s drier and cooler than Pagliaro. Typically, this is Bea’s most dense, most savage expression of Sagrantino di Montefalco. I can confirm that is the case for this wine.
Poured into a decanter about an hour before service; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2010 pours a deep garnet color near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing and, true to varietal form, overwhelmingly sanguine. Remarkable notes of demi-glacé, tart black cherry, and black plum, blood, the smell of a flower nursery’s greenhouse, and dry underbrush. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is impossibly long, iron rich and savory.
An absolutely brutal wine and positively stunning. This is awesome if you have the patience to allow it to open up however this will be better towards the end of this decade and drink well through 2045, easy. Bottle No. 0996/6111.
Big wine. Still dominating all foods on day three. Nearly oxidative, a pleasant dusty-ness evokes my grandmother’s cedar jewelry box.
Big wine. Still dominating all foods on day three. Nearly oxidative, a pleasant dusty-ness evokes my grandmother’s cedar jewelry box.
Jul 5th, 2022
Superb, opened up with depth and length of flavor. Go, sagrantino and Paola Bea!
Superb, opened up with depth and length of flavor. Go, sagrantino and Paola Bea!
Dec 14th, 2019