Bea Arrivals– MCF Rare Wine

MCF Rare Wine Ltd.

Bea Arrivals

Anytime there's a new release from the Paolo Bea estate, it's always an exciting day.

The master of powerful, dense, earthy, utterly mind-bending reds continues to churn out some of the most unique wines in the world.

The 2009 versions of both the Montefalco Rosso Riserva Pipparello and the Montefalco Sagrantino Pagliaro are stunning.

The somewhat 'drier' and more structured Pipparello shows plenty of dark fruit and smoky earth as the Sangiovese (60%) imparts a sense of restraint (if you can call these wines restrained in any way).

The Pagliaro (100% Sagrantino) is, as usual, packed with dark, raisiny power and wild, herbaceous complexity. The imposing structure lurks beneath the highly textured fruit.

There's some San Valentino Rosso on this shipment as well, which is always a welcomed sight. This wine was originally a Montefalco Rosso, but following a disagreement with the consorzio, he labeled it as Umbria Rosso. (Bea's tongue-in-cheek reaction to the consorzio can be seen scribbled throughout the label).

Regardless of its status, though, the Valentino is another top-notch wine from Bea. It used to be a different blend, with some 60% Sagrantino, but the blend is now closer that of the Pipparello with a 70/15/15 proportion of Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Sagrantino. The San Valentino spends three years in stainless steel and is one of the great values in Italy.

It's always the freshest and liveliest wine in the Bea lineup and the 2010 is, for me, the best one since the 2006, with great structure and complexity.

The Bea family is historic in the region -- their lineage dates back to the 1500s.

What Paolo and his sons Giampero and Giuseppe preside over is, by any measure, as honest an operation as you'll find. They don't just run a vineyard, but an organic farm. They raise their own livestock and grow their own fruits and vegetables, all with the utmost respect for the land and its health.

True artisans.

THESE WINES ARE SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE FRIDAY 10/21.