Bea produces perhaps his most renowned wine from pure Sagrantino grown on the prized hilltop site of Pagliaro, situated at 1300 feet above sea level in Montefalco proper. The well balanced 2019 Pagliaro spent upwards of a month on its skins, before aging for one year in stainless steel, another two years in large Slavonian oak barrels and, finally, one more year in bottle before release. Bea’s wines at their best offer a panoply of spices so intoxicating, so far-reaching, so evocative, as to nearly defy belief. The only wines that approach Bea’s in that regard are perhaps the most un-sculpted Syrah-based wines of the Northern Rhône, but even those feel as if they have governors on their accelerators in comparison to top vintages of Pagliaro. The purity of Sagrantino truly comes through, while the typical wildness is just slightly reined in with remarkably tame tannins (by Sagrantino standards) lifting the finish for ages.