I met my Oakland Yard partners, Daniel and Glenny, at a wine store in Brooklyn called Smith & Vine, a wonderfully claustrophobic, tinned-ceilinged, bright orange shop, packed with unique, small-production, honestly made wines which we learned to love together. Toward the back of the shop, propped in a high storage cubby, sat a framed portrait, often mistaken for Leonard Cohen, of a handsome white-haired man with a prominent nose and gentle eyes that appeared to be focussed on something distant and peaceful. The man in the photo was Paolo Bea, Umbrian farmer and winemaker, and unmatched idol to our shop owners, Patrick and Michele, who made a pilgrimage to his vineyards in Cerrete despite reports that the winery offered no public tastings. Paolo was so charmed by these young, enthusiastic Americans that he invited them in for a tasting, during which one of them captured this memorable image.
The Bea family has been farming in the Montefalco since the 1500s, and Paolo began bottling and selling the wines in the 1970’s, quietly building a reputation as the master of Italian ‘natural’ wine. The vineyards and winemaking are now in the hands of Paolo’s sons, Guiseppe and Giampero, who continue to produce distinctive, traditionally made, terroir-driven wines that we can’t get enough of. In fact, we probably have the largest collection of these wines in the bay area. Giampero also consults with the Trappist Convent of Vittorchiano in Lazio, where the sisters cultivate their own organic grapes and vinify on location. These wines, including an iconic ‘orange’ wine, once called Coenobium and now labeled Ruscum, have been favorites of ours for over fifteen vintages. Giampero has said, “I am merely a consultant and assistant on the project; the sisters do all the hard work.” (Read more about those wines HERE!)
During my first week of work at Bi-Rite Market in San Francisco in 2015, I was invited to taste next door at Delphina restaurant with Giampero Bea. I was starstruck, and he was delightful, happy to answer all of my questions, including, “How do you pronounce Coenobium?” With a big grin, he answered “Shay-NO-bee-um!” And I got the opportunity to say, “Thank you, Giampero.”
We’re in no hurry to unload these treasures, but having just received the latest releases from Monastero Suore Cistercensi, it occurs to me that we should let you in on these sought after bottlings we’ve been assiduously collecting since we opened our doors nearly five years ago, some of which we have in good supply, and others but a handful of bottles remaining. Here is a list of our current inventory:
2016 Paolo Bea Santa Chiara Umbria Bianco $52
2014 Paolo Bea San Valentino Rosso $58
2015 Paolo Bea San Valentino Rosso $60
2015 Paolo Bea Rosso de Veo $78
2011 Paolo Bea Vigna Pipparello Rosso $85
2015 Paolo Bea Vigna Pipparello Rosso $92
2015 Paolo Bea Vigneti Pagliaro Rosso $112
2019 Monastero Suore Cistercensi Coenobium Bianco $26
2019 Monastero Suore Cistercensi Coenobium Ruscum Bianco $33
2019 Monastero Suore Cistercensi Coenobium Benedic Rosso $27
We cannot ship beyond California, but you should be able to find some Paolo Bea in any self-respecting, well-resourced wine shop purporting to sell fine, artisanal Italian wines.
Cheers,
Max