| Hey Free Rangers, How are you all holding up these days? The saddest rendition yet of what used to be the Atlantic Antic is just winding down, as I type. It might be time to start circulating a petition to bring it back to its former glory, or shut the damned thing down for good. Thoughts? Seriously, does anybody care about this thing anymore? … Somebody called the shop this week asking for “4 liter jugs of Burgundy”. We genuinely hadn’t heard that one before, and as is often the case with strange requests, this one was for something that simply doesn’t exist. Burgundy is of course one of the oldest and most revered of wine growing regions in the world. If the wine is red, it is always Pinot Noir, if the wine is white, it is most often Chardonnay, but if labeled as such, a white Burgundy can instead be made from Aligoté. And while wine bottles can get quite large, there is nothing bottled in the wine world that is exactly 4 liters, and those larger bottles are never referred to as “jugs”. Lots of interesting conversations can spring from unusual questions, but as always, there is just nowhere to go from the intersection of ignorance and certainty. Given the lateness of last week’s email offer, we’ve left live both the Lopez de Heredia Rioja sale page and the Japanese Whiskey sale page through Wednesday, which you can access here: Lopez de Heredia Sale! Japanese Whiskey Sale! For this week’s online only sale, we’re offering up a significant number of Paolo Bea bottles. The estate is now run primarily by Giampiero Bea (son of Paolo) who is an architect by trade, and also happens to vinify some of the world’s most compelling wine. On top of this, the estate bottles some of the worlds most beguiling olive oil, and produces some of the finest ancient grain flours, pastas, and dried peas and lentils of which I am aware. Sadly, unwieldy New York liquor laws forbid us from selling you any of those, but the wines we have in significant quantity, considering their scarcity. If I had ever bothered to grow up, I would’ve liked to have fostered a portfolio as robust as his. But it’s enough for me that I get to sell (and often drink- and eat) the fruits of his labor. Santa Chiara is the lightest and most floral of his skin contact whites. Lapideus is drier, grippier, and eathier, and Arboreus is the darkest and most textured of the trio. Amongst the reds, Cotidie is a brand new release which is lighter and juicier than the rest, meant to be an “everyday drinker”, at least in the context of Bea wines. Made from equal parts Sagrantino della Pianura and Trebbiano Spoletino, the Cotidie is beautifully textured and fresh, but maintains the sort of fruit/earth balance one would expect from Bea. Pagliaro and Pipparello have long solidified Bea as a leader in the natural wine movement and one of the premier winemakers in all of Italy. Paolo and his sons have been crafting pure and compelling Sagrantino-based wines for decades. They exude an unmatched wild and animalistic beauty. Truly unique, the wines are powerful, feral, and intensely aromatic, yet somehow, they also maintain an almost regal sense of poise and elegance. Employing long macerations (up to 55 days) and working solely with indigenous varieties like Sangiovese, Montepulciano, and most importantly Umbria’s noble Sagrantino. San Valentino is 40% Sagrantino, 40% Sangiovese, and 20% Montepulciano, from up to 50-year-old vines 400 meters above sea level. It starts with lovely aromatics, finishes with baking spices, and is balanced throughout. Pipparello is Sangiovese forward with elegant aromatics and somewhat green and umami undertones, concentrated and pure with refined tannins. Pagliaro is pure Sagrantino and showcases the depth and dry tannic finish exemplary of the varietal. In my opinion, this is the flagship wine of Bea and is consistently delicious, as well as being significantly age-worthy. Cerrete, which was first released in the 2011 vintage is from a high altitude vineyard and the 2015 release offers a nose of profound complexity, with a subtle dose of volatility boosting the usual panoply of spices. Boisterous but not aggressive on the palate, it finishes with great persistence and length. The Bea family’s history in the Montefalco area dates to the 1500s, but only in the last two decades have their wines famously exploded onto the international stage. The vineyards are cultivated organically, all grapes are harvested manually, and all wines are bottled without fining or filtration. The wines have garnered quite a cult following, and they become more difficult to secure each vintage. Click the link below to access our biggest sale ever of these delicious rarities, including Pagliaro and Pipparello going back to to 2012, and the insanely rare Sagrantino Passito from 2007 and 2010. (!) Click here for the hidden sale page (!) 10% off 1-5 bottles 20% off 6-11 bottles 25% off 12+ bottles *** Online exclusive! *** *** This week only! *** Cheers, Jack Proprietor Free Range Wine & Spirits P.S. Free Range E-mail Archive |
