Paolo Bea, Montefalco, Sagrantino Secco Pagliaro

Simo corvinned from Magnum at Mila's. The WOTN for me and a coupe others. Sag doesn't get any more elegant than this. 13.5%ABV. No RS. Savory with some green notes (did he pick early??). A bit woody (in a good way). Blind, my first guess was Mastroberdarino Radici Aglianico("wrong"). My second guess was Paolo Bea. Thank you Simo! 92+ pts.

2005 vintage

served blind. guesses were natural producer and french. This was showing exceptionally well from a perfectly stored bottle

2005 vintage

A its top now, but still some fruit hints mixed with leather en cigar box. This wine needs food, good food !

2005 vintage

Surprising amount of fruit on the nose. On the palate, an enjoyable balance between fruit notes and leather / cigar box notes. The tannins are intense and this needs food (or perhaps a really long decant as others note - I could only resist for an hour and a half). If you want fruit, which I recommend, this is at peak. I was surprised to find so much left for a 750 (relative to the 3L I had in Feb …

2005 vintage

From 3L - fantastic from the first pour. Fruit still showing well. Tannins and acid well balanced. Really enjoyable

2005 vintage

Peach Farm. This was my last bottle. Still quite a lot of tannin. However, while certainly appreciated by those present, I think it was better younger when the fruit was more ebullient and the Sagrantino character was more in your face.

2005 vintage

At Cobble with the Lawtons, backup bottle to a 2001 which was clearly over the hill. This was good, but I'm coming to the realization that these may be better drunk younger, despite the tannin, to better appreciate the amazing fruit.

2005 vintage

Opened for a couple of hours, decanted for five. Like the previous bottle, this was an outstanding Sagrantino: the rustic core is there, but eighteen years has smoothed and folded the edges to create a memorable mouthfeel amid layers of fruit. Can't imagine it getting better. This likely the end of my thirty-some year romance with Sagrantino, but what a great farewell to the last example of the grape in my cellar.

2005 vintage

Opened at noon, decanted at three, served at four with bread, cheese, coarse paté, olives, whitefish salad. I haven't cellared Sagrantinos in years, but I don't believe I've had a better iteration among the many bottles I've shared at home or dining out (specifically at Il Buco, where I was first introduced to the grape via Ruggiero, no longer imported). This is just where you want it: assertive, rustic, and ennobled with time such that every sip is rich with …

2005 vintage

Opened 5 hours and then decanted one hour before drinking; could have used more time, but drank really well. Just a great, and singular wine.

2005 vintage

Initial glasses via Coravin, then opened the bottle for the last half. Honestly, it needed air, but the single glass pours were still quite good. Tannins are still quite firm, but not aggressively so. A couple of hours of air did good things. Plenty of fruit remaining, and a delicious earthiness, with hints of tertiary development beginning to show. If I had another of these, I’d sit on it for five more years.

2005 vintage

Single blind tasting Medium tawny color - unfiltered Medium aromas of plum and black tea with wonderful smoky element Medium plus body with black fruit and plum palate with underlying green herbs and mineral Medium plus tannins but very well integrated - medium plus alcohol and medium plus acidity - perfectly balanced palate and long length Dry glass aromas of tomato leaf Really drinking well at this stage but showing no signs of age other than its color - so …

2005 vintage

Single blind tasting Medium garnet, unfiltered, bricking Aromatics medium. Plum, purple flowers, and leather/black tea almost unctuous. Later tomato leaf Palate is medium bodied. Acid medium. Tannins medium +, sandy grained on the teeth and gums. Alcohol medium. Black plum, basil and dark green herbs but still fresh despite age Finish has medium + length. Balanced Dry glass notes of tomato leaf Drinking well now, but has years of potential. Tannins seem tamed now

2005 vintage

Perfect balance with live and mature wine with clean and focused secondary dried fruit flavors. The structure of the wine is astounding. Excellent wine.

2005 vintage

Medium garnet color Medium plus aromas of red/black fruit with prunes/ leather dried florals and touch of smoke Medium plus bodied - dark fruit but fresher than aromas suggest - also secondaries of leather/ dried flowers and herbs Medium plus tannins but completely integrated now Medium plus alcohol and medium /long finish Very nice wine presently but seems tired - more so than I would have hoped actually

2005 vintage

Have reviewed this back in 12, & 14 with very different notes. Now in 2021. After now having loved the 2003, and had the 09, 10, & 11, which were too young to fairly rate, I am convinced this vintage is a dud. After an 8 hour decant this one is just not going anywhere. What makes these wines so enjoyable are the layers of complexity. To be honest, it's not a bad wine but just not on par with …

2005 vintage

Martha's retirement celebration. A relatively tame bottle but still very Sagrantino and still special. Plenty of tannin still but manageable. Not much changed on day 2.

2005 vintage

In a glass of Pagliaro you can find the essence and philosophy of Sagrantino di Montefalco, one of the Italian wines that most represent a territory. The production follows a natural style, mentioned in the label. It is a "vino vero" with a limited intervention of modern production techniques, the result is influenced by the trend of the season: nature gives the character and balance to the wine. The color is deep ruby. Blackberry, spices and tobacco on the nose. …

2005 vintage

I hope this was just an off bottle. I have enjoyed many Sagrantinos over the years; this was, sadly, not among them.

2005 vintage

The nose displayed fresh mineral intensity and moist, dark earth tones up front, evolving to show savory brown spices over ripe black cherry, backed by wild herbs and a hint of animal musk. On the palate, velvety textures flooded the senses with waves of dark red fruits, yet firmed up as brisk acids settled in, unveiling savory herbal tones and a tart twang of peppery spice; yet through it all, grippy tannin slowly gained strength. The finish was long and …

2005 vintage

I love this wine.

2005 vintage

Drank it too young. Classic sagrantino but needs 5-10+ years to begin to show its potential. Not yet as multi-dimensional as I had hoped and expected.

2005 vintage

Huge and young. Decant. Tooth furring tannins, exceptional balance for such a giant. All elements are there, just needs another five - 10 years. Drink the 2006 while waiting.

2005 vintage

The 2005 is a dark, rich, big wine that is now ready to consume. There will be no mistaking sagarantino for a delicate flower; it combines the nose of a young nebbiolo with the slightly sweet, tobacco and heavy attack of an amarone with the texture of a mid- ages Provencal red. Rich tones of mossy eartth, deep very dark cherry and an angularity wound around barnyard notes. Overall, this now cult cuvee is nice but not on a par …

2005 vintage

Cassoulet at Mike's. Drinking well, still considerable tannin.

2005 vintage

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Paolo Bea, Montefalco, Sagrantino Secco Pagliaro

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