Paolo and Giampiero Bea Rosso de Veo Umbria Rosso 2019

The 2019 Rosso de Veo is Paolo Bea in high-definition—a bottle that manages to be both super rustic and remarkably polished. While it’s technically the estate’s younger vine expression of Sagrantino, don’t let the label fool you; “young” in Bea-speak often means 15 to 25 years old, and this wine has more stuffing than most flagship bottlings.

As always with Giampiero Bea, the process is hands-off to the extreme: organic farming, no added yeasts, no temperature control, and a massive 40-to-50-day maceration followed by years of aging in large Slavonian oak. It’s bottled without fining or filtration, preserving that wild side we love.

Patience required–this is a wine for the cellar or a very long decant.