A while back I published some thoughts on Montefalco Sagrantino. “But what about Paolo Bea!?” cried many people in response to the conspicuous absence of those wines from my report. What about Paulo Bea, indeed.
Some people, we say, seem comfortable in their own skin. To me, this expression captures an interesting mix of characteristics: a modicum of confidence, a touch of easy grace, and a certain satisfied self-awareness.
Finding these qualities in wine always thrills me, and the wines of Paolo Bea have been thrilling me for decades.
With their quirky handwritten labels, wonderfully complex flavors, and a consistent commitment to tradition and quality, they have always had a sense of self that sets them apart from most other wines. Even in a country with more than its share of unvarnished, soulful wines.
Architecture of Tradition
The Bea family has been farming in the municipality of Montefalco, Italy for hundreds of years. The earliest written records in the area mentioning the family date to around 1500. But the family’s modern history begins with the man whose name is on the bottle.
Growing up on the family farm raising cattle, vegetables, olives, and more, Paolo Bea witnessed the changing economies of agriculture, and in 1980 decided that wine might represent something of a future for the family. Like most Umbrian families, the Beas had always made small quantities of wine for personal consumption, but Paolo decided to try his hand at commercial production.
His vision for winemaking was in keeping with the family’s deep commitment to the land they had always farmed. Back then, the type of wine Bea set out to make didn’t have a name. It was just good wine—the way Bea thought it should be made if he wanted it to be a true expression of place.
It was wine made without additions, interventions, or manipulation, from grapes grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. It was wine made according to ancient traditions, where white grapes and red grapes alike spent extended time in contact with their skins. It was wine that Paolo Bea wanted to drink.
Today, of course, we can recognize Bea as one of the progenitors of the natural wine movement, but that is a mantle more accepted than intended by the elder Bea. For Paolo, making wine has always simply been about integrity.
I don’t like to say that I make wine. I assist in the process but I don’t dominate.
Giampiero Bea
His son Giampiero, who trained and worked as an architect before coming back to join the family business, plays a more active role in conversations about winemaking philosophy and is ultimately responsible for the family’s towering stature within the natural wine community.
It was Giampiero who launched the family’s true foray into commercial production, who used his architect’s sensibilities to design their iconic labels, and who co-founded the Vini Veri consortium along with Stanko Radikon and others more than 20 years ago.
Giampiero is the voice of the family’s philosophy about what real wine should be.
The Bea Method
“I don’t like to say that I make wine,” says Giampiero Bea. “I assist in the process, but I don’t dominate. I try to maintain an identity that is born in the soil, in the land. I don’t exclude anything and I don’t add anything. I just use the grape as it is born in the vineyard and want to maintain its identity.”
Bea’s brother Guiseppe handles the vineyards. He farms organically, has never used pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers, and never tills the soil of his vineyards. He plants the vineyard rows with a mix of wild peas and six other different cover crops in February to ensure they don’t grow too high in the spring. He mows the cover crops in June and leaves the cut stalks on the ground to gather humidity and enrich the soil.
The Bea family farms around 37 acres across 5 different vineyards, along with two olive orchards. Giampiero also has a small property where he grows grains for pasta and legumes, as well as some grapes that are now being bottled under his own name, rather than the Paolo Bea brand.
Sixty percent of the family’s acreage is planted to Sagrantino, with another roughly 30% to Sangiovese and Montepulciano, and around 10% of mixed white varieties including the local Trebbiano Spoletino, easily distinguished from other varieties of Trebbiano by its unique forked clusters.
Grapes are carefully harvested by hand and sorted once in the vineyard and again when they reach the cellar. Both white and red grapes are destemmed and “soft crushed” into steel vats, where they start fermentation naturally and continue without any temperature control or additions of sulfur.
There is a whole universe inside the skins.
Giampiero Bea
Bea lets every fermentation lot take its own sweet time to complete fermentation, most of which do so within a couple of weeks. Anything that seems unusually sluggish he will move into conical wood vats usually reserved for aging, counting on the aeration of movement and the warmth of the wood to jump-start any flagging yeasts.
Skinny Dipping
Skin contact is something of a religion for Bea.
“I macerate for at least 2-3 weeks and sometimes up to 8 weeks because I want to bring everything that the grapes bring from the vineyard into the wine,” says Bea. “This is important to express identity. There is a whole universe inside the skins. When you have skin contact you have the total identity of the grapes.”
He also believes that the skins act as a natural filter, collecting impurities that don’t belong in the finished wine.
“The longer the wine is in contact with the skins, the more elegant it becomes,” says Bea, who increasingly believes stem inclusion may also function the same way, and has begun experimenting with more whole-cluster fermentation.
The choice of how long to macerate each wine is something that Bea leaves up to nature—specifically to the interaction between his fermentations and the cycle of the moon.
“The skins tend to drop to the bottom with the waning moon,” he says, and that’s when he usually ops to rack the wine. “It is an experience for me in here,” he says pointing to his heart. “I understand something here.”
After being drained off the skins, and a little sulfur dioxide is added for the first time, the wines remain in steel, where Bea periodically stirs the lees to eke out every little bit of “identity” he can from his raw materials.
As summer approaches, Bea opens up the windows of the custom gravity-flow cellar that he designed and lets the temperature rise, speeding along malolactic conversion and any other biological processes left to complete.
By September, Bea believes the wines to be ready, and “clean,” so at that point, he moves them to large oak vats, again adding a little sulfur. This cleanliness is important to Bea as he believes that it helps to avoid clogging up the pores of the oak, which he relies on for its slow oxygen exchange with the wine.
After their appointed time in oak, ranging from 1 to 3 years, the wines are bottled without fining or filtration of any kind. Many wines, in particular his Sagrantinos, age for years in bottle before release.
Cellar Elements
Bea designed and built his winery to utilize the natural environment and ensure his wines never stray far from the elements that created them.
Windows open in the cellar automatically when the temperature reaches 22˚ C / 71˚ F. The warm air escaping the windows draws in air from pipes in the floor that extend down the hill and open out onto the green fields below the winery. As air passes through these pipes buried deep in the earth, it cools and emerges in the cellar to passively regulate the temperature.
The cellar is made of solid blocks of stone, with cement notably absent, a choice Bea made to avoid the Radon gas these building materials are known to emit. In key places, the blocks of stone are separated by 4-inch gaps through which you can see the soil and rock of the hillside that buttresses the lower levels of the cellar. Through these gaps, Bea’s cellar receives moisture as it percolates through the soil.
A Marriage of Convenience
Bea’s emphasis on skin contact may first be an expression of philosophy, but it is also grounded in a deep appreciation for the tradition of skin-macerated wines that has recently undergone something of a renaissance in Italy and around the world. Twenty years ago, Bea was one of the few Italian producers outside of Friuli making the orange wines that are now so trendy.
In a further embrace of tradition, Bea makes a wine named Arboreus which I happen to think is one of the most fascinating wines in the world.
It is made from the local Trebbiano Spoletino grape, but only from vines that may be more than 250 years old and which grow in and between maple trees in an ancient style of cultivation.
Known as vite maritata, this trellising technique (if it can even really be described as such) was used for hundreds of years by farmers primarily as a matter of convenience.
Essentially it allowed the farmer to layer crops, growing grapes up high above cereals and vegetables below that benefitted from a bit of shade cast by the trees and the vines strung between them. Bea says the low arcs of vines looping from one tree to another remind him of the outstretched fingers of God and Adam in Michaelangelo’s Cistine Chapel ceiling.
“One hundred years ago, this whole valley was planted with maritata,” says Bea. “It was just the way to grow grapes. But then tractors arrived and they cut them all down. Now you can only find them in small pieces near people’s homes, where they were left to make a little wine for the family.”
These days, as elderly farmers age out of their most strenuous work, Bea is able to lease these small plots of ancient vines, which are still remarkably productive.
From merely 270 vines, Bea harvests enough fruit to make 830 cases of wine.
Wines Without Compare
Bea releases his wines when he believes they are ready to be consumed, which almost always means that the vintages of Paolo Bea wines on the market lag behind most other wines in the region, and in Italy in general. His 2016 Sagrantinos have just been released, and his other reds are still being sold from the 2018 and 2017 vintage. The latest vintage you’re likely to see in his whites would be 2020, as Bea believes skin-contact whites should ideally be consumed no earlier than at 3-4 years of age.
Occasionally Bea’s wines have been known to fail the tasting portion of the DOC certification process. His 2006 San Valentino Montefalco Rosso didn’t meet with the tasting panel’s approval.
“They wrote ‘very low color and a little oxidation,’” says Bea, who made up a new label for the wine that included this quote from the panel, and now San Valentino is a non-DOC Umbria Rosso with a big question mark on the top right of the label.
“I’ve been gradually increasing the size of the vineyard name on my labels,” says Bea with a twinkle in his eye. In Italy, vineyard designations and wine names are supposed to be clearly separated from regional designations on labels. “The next time they don’t approve them I will just declassify.”
Like so many artisan producers working to minimize intervention, Bea cares more about the wine’s fidelity to place and vintage than he does the particular appellation or quality designation on the label. Of course, he also has the benefit of being one of the most famous wine producers in Italy with the yearly demand for his wines always outstripping supply.
Bea makes about 5000 cases of wine annually, though with increasing frequency that number is dramatically affected by climate chaos. Umbria along with many other places in Italy are seeing increasingly severe problems with downy mildew, an affliction that proves particularly difficult for those producers unwilling to employ industrial, systemic fungicides.
In 2013 Bea made no red wine to speak of, and in 2014 he made 10% of his normal volume. This year, 2023, will likely be another brutal harvest.
But when things go right, Bea’s wines are among my favorites in Italy. They are wines with layers of complexity. They possess intensity and richness but don’t stray into gratuitous opulence. Even the wines made entirely from the tannic monster that is the Sagrantino grape have a suppleness and grace, as well as accompanying acidity, that make them always pleasurable to drink.
Most of all, however, the wines have integrity. They do wonderful justice to Bea’s intention of trying to express the beauty and traditions of Umbria. They’re not easy to find, and usually not for less than $50, but I highly recommend them to anyone looking for honesty and grace in the bottle.
Tasting Notes
2017 Paolo Bea “Santa Chiara” White Blend, Umbria Bianco, Italy
A hazy light amber in color, this wine smells of autumn leaves, dried citrus peel, and apricot. In the mouth, tangy apricots, citrus peel, crushed stones, and saffron flavors have a wonderful chalky tannic texture and fantastic acidity. There’s a hint of sweetness, a hint of saltiness, and a lovely creamy quality to the wine. A blend of Grechetto, Malvasia, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Garganega, all harvested together and cofermented. The Chardonnay and Sauvignon are usually raisined by the time the other grapes are ready. Spends 28 days on the skins., 2 years in stainless steel, and then a bit longer in large oak casks. The grapes come from a small vineyard that was used to make small quantities of wine for the Bea family before commercial wine production began. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $53. click to buy.
2017 Paolo Bea “Aboreus” Umbria Bianco, Italy
Medium amber with gold highlights, this wine smells of honey, citrus peel, and herbs. In the mouth, tangy citrus peel, apricot skin, and yellow herb flavors mix with a hint of wet autumn leaves. Fantastically bright acidity and hints of bee pollen linger in a long creamy finish with hints of vanilla and saffron, but also tanginess. Outstanding and unique. Spends 29 days on skins. 250-year-old Trebbiano Spoletino vines trained in the vite maritata method in and between the branches of maple trees. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $76. click to buy.
2018 Giampiero Bea “Lapideus” Umbria Bianco, Italy
Light to medium amber in the glass, this wine smells of candied orange peel, a hint of peach, and citrus pith. In the mouth, bright citrus pith and citrus peel flavors have a faint vanilla creaminess to them, and a light chalky texture. Lovely finish with great persistence in the mouth. The wine spends 24 days on the skins. 100-year-old vines trained on cordon. 13% alcohol. Lapideus means stone. The name of the vineyard translates roughly to “bridge of stone.” 100% Trebbiano Spoletino. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $80. click to buy.
2019 Giampiero Bea “Cotidea” Umbria Rosso, Italy
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherry and flowers and a hint of citrus peel. In the mouth, bright cherry and strawberry flavors are wrapped in a suede blanket of tannins. There’s a citrusy acidity to the whole package with hints of herbs and citrus peel lingering in the finish. Refreshing, but still has grip. This is a blend of red and white grapes, Sagrantino and Trebbiano Spoletino. The wine’s name essentially means quotidian—an ordinary wine for the people—a reference to the fact that farmers used to regularly blend red and white grapes to make a wine that was easy to drink soon after bottling. 13% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $55. click to buy.
2015 Paolo Bea “San Valentino” Umbria Rosso, Italy
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of earth and herbs and dark fruit. In the mouth, black cherry and black plum flavors mix with citrus peel, wet earth, and hints of wet leaves. Bright acidity and a long finish. Powdery tannins coat the mouth. Very tasty. Spends 39 days on the skins. 14% alcohol. A blend of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Montepulciano, 15% Sagrantino. Score: around 9. Cost: $62. click to buy.
2015 Paolo Bea “Riserva – Vina Piparello” Montefalco Rosso, Umbria, Italy
Dark ruby in the glass, this wine smells of aromatic herbs, dark fruits, and dried flowers. In the mouth, there’s an incredible herbal intensity to this wine and a thick fleecy blanket of tannins wrapping around a core of black cherry and blackberry. Great acidity and length. The herbs are just incredible. A blend of 60% Sangiovese 25% Montepulciano, 15% Sagrantino. Spends 40 days on the skins, one year in steel, and then three years in oak. 15% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $90. click to buy.
2015 Paolo Bea “Rosso de Veo” Umbria Rosso, Italy
A hazy medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of bright cherry fruit mixed with dark earth and hints of aromatic herbs. In the mouth, rich powdery tannins wrap around a core of black cherry and bing cherry fruit shot through with citrusy acidity. Notes of aromatic herbs like thyme and lavender linger in the long finish along with citrus peel brightness. The fruit for this wine comes from the Pagliano and Cerrete vineyards. 15% alcohol. Spends 39 days on the skins. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $78. click to buy.
2015 Paolo Bea “Pagliaro Secco” Montefalco Sagrantino, Umbria, Italy
Dark ruby in the glass with garnet highlights this wine smells of cherry and earth, and dried herbs. In the mouth, incredible acidity makes the mouth water and the bright cherry and dusty earth flavors bright. Massive tannins close like a fist around the core of the wine but remain fine-grained and suede-like. There’s a stoniness to this wine and its tannins that begs for some more time to unwind. 15% alcohol. Spends 41 days on the skins. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $120. click to buy.
2011 Paolo Bea “Cerrete” Montefalco Sagrantino, Umbria, Italy
Dark ruby in the glass, with garnet highlights, this wine smells of lavender and thyme and flowers and a hint of cedar. In the mouth, the tannins have turned to liquid velvet and cushion flavors of herbs, cherries, black plum, and dried citrus peel. Aromatic herbs waft through the wine as the tannins settle like thick chalk dust on every surface of the mouth. Fantastic acidity and unbelievable length. A massive wine, but a gentle giant, without any heat to betray its 15% alcohol. Spends 52 days on the skins. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $175. click to buy.
2011 Paolo Bea Montefalco Sagrantino Passito, Umbria, Italy
Cloudy dark ruby in the glass with orange highlights, this wine smells of burnt brown sugar and raisins. In the mouth, silky flavors of raisins, toffee, caramel, and hints of coffee have remarkable acidity and only moderate sweetness. There’s an herbal woody quality to the wine and soft but muscular tannins, that combine to convey a sense of effortlessness on the palate. Caramel lingers for a long time in the finish. The grapes started at 12.5% potential alcohol and were dried for 5 months resulting in a final alcohol level of 18.8%. Roughly 100 kilograms of grapes yield only 8 to 10 liters of wine, which takes many months to ferment. Bottled in 2020. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $350. click to buy.
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