Paolo Bea 'San Valentino' Umbria Rosso 2020 750ml

ITALY : UMBRIA : MONTEFALCO

ORGANIC : Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Sagrantino

MED-FULL BODIED, DARK CHERRY, EARTH, WHITE PEPPER, BRIGHT ACIDITY, OAK

San Valentino is a single vineyard near the town of Montefalco — 50-year-old vines growing in clay soil, Sangiovese, Sagrantino, and Montepulciano planted together and harvested in one pass. The Bea family has farmed this land since the 1500s. No pesticides, no herbicides, no chemical fertilizers, ever. The grape is destemmed, fermented with indigenous yeast on skins for 30+ days, then aged in large old Slavonian oak casks before being bottled without fining or filtration.

The wine is labeled Umbria Rosso IGT rather than Montefalco Rosso DOC — a deliberate choice after the 2006 vintage failed the tasting panel and Bea printed the rejection note on the label instead of changing his method. The 2020 is Paolo Bea's most accessible red: earthy, structured, alive with dark cherry and white pepper aromatics. Allow it to breathe — it evolves considerably over an hour in the glass, and rewarding patience has always been the point.

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