The cru Pipparello is situated at 400 meters altitude with soils of clay and gravel, and this bottling displays Bea’s skillful touch with Sangiovese, which achieves a wilder and more powerful expression here than in neighboring Tuscany. Comprising 70% Sangiovese, 15% Montepulciano, and 15% Sagrantino, this 2018 — clocking in at 14.5% alcohol — harnesses the combination of power and energy that characterizes Bea at his best, and its lengthy 60-day maceration manifests as seamless concentration rather than undue structure. 'Pipparello' spends a total of 12-24 months in steel, then 2 years in botti in order to integrate its elements, and there is certainly no shortage of material here. The ultra-savory nose is a wild tangle of camphor, black olives, fresh tar, and sandalwood, with pretty high-toned spices lurking in the background. Its palate is arrestingly dense, yet it carries an incredible amount of energy given its overall disposition. This is a rough-andtumble, wholly uncompromising wine without a polite bone in its body, yet it still manages to be erudite and nuanced—an embodiment of the spirit of the Bea style at its most extreme.