Paolo Bea, Grand Cru
2007 Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco
"Vigneto Cerrete"
There's no denying Paolo Bea's cult status.
On Tuesday, we offered Bea 2008 Sagrantino Pagliaro. As usual, it blew up. As I write, we have exactly one bottle of our allocation left.
We also received a tiny amount of Bea's 2007 Sagrantino Cerrete. Be warned that this will disappear. When we offered the '07 Cerrete last fall, our much larger allocation was gone in 48 hours.
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Cerrete is Bea's highest elevation vineyard. Neil Rosenthal writes that itis "perhaps the greatest combination of height and exposition in the appellation." I remember having lunch with Giampiero Bea (Paolo's son) four years ago and hearing him talk excitedly about Cerrete's potential and how carefully they selected the site. Calling it Bea's Grand Cru is simplistic, for sure, but not inaccurate.
2007 was the first vintage for Cerrete, and it's hard to imagine a more ideal vintage for its debut. In 2007, Umbria saw warm temperatures throughout much of the summer with cool nights and almost perfectly timed rainfall in October. This allowed the late-ripening Sagrantino grape to be harvested in November with concentration and beautiful balance.
A big part of what makes Cerrete so special is the elevation. The elevation brings out a wild intensity along with lift and elegance. The combination is killer. Compared to the Sagrantino Pagliaro that we love, Cerrete is both more explosively complex and lighter on its feet.
Bea's wines, especially the 100% Sagrantinos, boast an untamed complexity with a shocking, undeniable and singular nobility. The Cerrete takes all of this to a new level.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
2007 Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco "Vigneto Cerrete"