Wine Portfolio / Montefalco Rosso Riserva, “Pipparello”

Paolo Bea

Montefalco

Montefalco Rosso Riserva, “Pipparello”

SKU BPRR

The Pipparello vineyard is a hilltop site in Montefalco at 1300 feet above sea level. The soil is clay and gravel. The vines in the vineyard are a minimum of 20 years old. Harvest takes place normally during the middle of October. The ultimate wine is a blend of roughly 60% Sangiovese, 25% Montepulciano and 15% Sagrantino. The cuvaison extends for a period between 40 to 50 days. After the alcoholic fermentation this wine spends a year in stainless steel tanks and then two years in large oak barrels and is released after an additional year of bottle-aging.

SKU: BPRR Category: Red

At a Glance
In the Vineyard
In the Cellar
In the Glass

APELLATION
IGT Umbria Bianco

UVAGGIO
Grechetto (20%), Malvasia (20%), Sauvignon (20%), Garganega (20%), Chardonnay (20%)

AVERAGE ANNUAL PRODUCTION
4,500 bottles

AVERAGE ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
13.5%

AVERAGE RESIDUAL SUGAR
< 5 g/l

PARCEL NAMES, SLOPES, AND LOCATIONS
From co-planted parcels in the Pagliaro vineyard, which faces south and southwest at 1,300 feet above sea-level

SOIL TYPES AND COMPOSITIONS
Limestone-clay and gravel

VINE AGE, TRAINING, AND DENSITY
Trained in Cordon

AVERAGE YIELDS
Controlled through severe winter pruning and debugging, yields range widely vintage to vintage

AVERAGE HARVEST DATE AND TYPES
Manual, usually in late September-early October

FERMENTATION
After crushing and destemming, wine ferments spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks, spending at least 2 weeks on its skins

PRESSING
Vertical basket press

TIME ON LEES
c. 12-20 months

MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION
Spontaneous, in tank following alcoholic fermentation

ÉLEVAGE
c. 12-20 months in stainless-steel tanks

PRESS WINE
Blended after pressing

FINING AND FILTRATION
Unfined and unfiltered

SULFUR
No added sulfur, with 40-55 mg/l total sulfur

Compared to the relatively racy Arboreus and the typically chiseled Lapideus, the Santa Chiara often swaggers out of the bottle with macerated peaches, brassy spice notes, a liberal dash of white pepper, and candied citrus. Despite its somewhat explosive and brash personality, it possesses terrific drive and a focused, tannin-derived sense of architecture.

About Paolo Bea

Bea’s wines remain singular—boisterous, unabashedly wild expressions of their undulating, sun-drenched hills of origin, each new vintage of which is eagerly anticipated by a legion of loyal clients.

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