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Paolo Bea

Pipparello Riserva 2015

Price: $65.95
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Tasting notes

The 2015 Pipparello delivers an unusual combination: the herbal intensity and dried-flower character of Umbrian Sagrantino wrapped around a Sangiovese-dominant core of black cherry and blackberry, all at 15% ABV and with tannins that demand time. It is unfiltered and fermented entirely with native yeasts, with zero fining agents — what you get in the glass is precisely what the vineyard and vintage provided.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Black CherryBlackberryTobaccoDried Herbs
  • Style: Full-bodied, high-tannin red; deep ruby; herbs, dark cherry, blackberry; 15% ABV; unfiltered
  • Grapes & Terroir: 60% Sangiovese, 25% Montepulciano, 15% Sagrantino; organic; calcareous clay soils; Pipparello vineyard, 400m elevation, Montefalco
  • Winemaking: Total destemming; spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel; 35-60 day cuvaison; 1 year stainless, ~3 years large Slavonian oak botti, 1 year bottle; unfiltered
  • Serving: Serve at 62-65F; decant minimum 1-2 hours; stand bottle upright 24h before opening to settle sediment
  • Pairing: Braised lamb, wild boar ragu, aged Pecorino di Fossa, Umbrian black truffle pasta
  • Similar To: For fans of structured Brunello di Montalcino or Aglianico who want a natural, non-interventionist approach

The Pipparello Riserva is Paolo Bea's single-vineyard Montefalco Rosso DOC, grown on the Pipparello vineyard at approximately 400 meters elevation in Montefalco, Umbria. The blend is 60% Sangiovese, 25% Montepulciano, and 15% Sagrantino, sourced from cordon-trained vines at least 20 years old on calcareous clay soils. The 2015 vintage comes in at 15% ABV, reflecting a warm, sunny growing season in central Umbria.

After total destemming, the wine ferments spontaneously in stainless steel tanks without temperature control. Cuvaison runs between 35 and 60 days. The wine then spends approximately one year in stainless steel, followed by roughly three years in large-format neutral Slavonian oak botti, and is released after one additional year of bottle aging. The wine is unfiltered, with only a small amount of sulfur added at bottling — total sulfur levels are printed on the label.

Paolo Bea is a founding member of the Vini Veri association, which requires organic farming and non-interventionist winemaking. No pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers are used in the vineyard. The Bea estate, formally Azienda Agricola Paolo Bea, operates as a traditional Italian fattoria: 15 hectares total, with 5 hectares of vines alongside olives, grains, fruits, and vegetables farmed by the family for their own consumption.

The 2015 Pipparello pours deep ruby and opens with aromatic herbs, dried flowers, and dark fruits. On the palate, black cherry and blackberry are wrapped in a thick, textured blanket of tannins, with high acidity and a long finish. Given its structure and 15% ABV, this wine benefits from extended decanting and continues to develop with further cellaring.

The tannin and acidity here need fat and protein: braised lamb shoulder with rosemary, Umbrian wild boar ragu on pappardelle, or aged Pecorino di Fossa. Avoid delicate dishes; this wine overpowers light preparations. A minimum one-hour decant is strongly recommended before serving.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Full Body
Grapes:, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Sagrantino
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2015
Alcohol:, 15%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Umbria
Appellation:, Montefalco Rosso DOC
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Paolo Bea

Archival records in Montefalco document the Bea family's presence in the area as early as 1500. The estate, Azienda Agricola Paolo Bea, has operated as a classic Italian fattoria across its 15 hectares, producing wine alongside olives, grains, fruits, vegetables, and farm animals. Despite this long agricultural history, commercial wine production began only in 1980, when Paolo Bea decided to bottle and sell wine. His sons Giuseppe (vineyard) and Giampiero (cellar and commercial) have managed day-to-day operations since the mid-1980s.

Farming is organic across all 5 hectares of vines. No pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers are used. Paolo Bea is a founding member of Vini Veri, an association that mandates organically farmed grapes and non-interventionist winemaking. Vines for the Pipparello vineyard are cordon-trained and at least 20 years old. Yields are controlled through severe winter pruning and debudding.

Winemaking at Paolo Bea involves total destemming followed by spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks without temperature control. Cuvaison for the red wines runs between 35 and 60 days. Aging takes place first in stainless steel, then in large-format neutral Slavonian oak botti. The wines are unfiltered and released with only minimal sulfur added at bottling; total sulfur levels appear on the label. Bea releases wines when he judges them ready, which routinely means vintages lag several years behind the current market.

Wine region

Umbria, Italy

Montefalco is a medieval hill town in the province of Perugia in central Umbria, Italy's only landlocked region. The production zone for Montefalco DOC encompasses the municipality of Montefalco and portions of Bevagna, Gualdo Cattaneo, Castel Ritaldi, and Giano dell'Umbria, with vineyards ranging from 220 to 472 meters above sea level. The climate is Mediterranean-subcontinental: warm, dry summers with cooling evening breezes from the Apennines, cold winters, and significant diurnal temperature variation during the growing season. Soils across the appellation are predominantly calcareous clay, sometimes deeper, sometimes shallower, with limited skeleton.

Montefalco DOC was established in 1979. The flagship red, Montefalco Rosso, is dominated by Sangiovese (60-80%) with a required minimum of Sagrantino (10-25%) and an allowance for other red varieties. The Riserva designation requires extended aging beyond the base Rosso requirements. The related Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, achieved in 1992, requires 100% Sagrantino and is one of Italy's most tannic wines. Sangiovese in this zone tends to produce spicier, more structured expressions than its Tuscan counterpart, partly due to the continental influence and clay-dominant soils.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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