Made with Grechetto, Malvasia, Garganega, Sauvignon and Chardonnay in equal parts, the 2015 Santa Chiara sees 25 days of skin maceration. The wine opens to a saturated golden color with amber highlights. You definitely smell the waxiness and the power that comes from those grape skins, thanks to layers of honeycomb, sun-dried apricot and candied orange peel. This is a full-bodied white wine that could pair with foods better suited to reds. The finish offers dusty tannins and a touch of bitter astringency.

The 2010 Santa Chiara pours into the glass with amber, golden intensity and flows forth with thick, supple concentration. The 2010 vintage is exceptionally balanced and tight with an initial prelude of crushed mineral and etched brimstone that sets a somber tone. The bouquet is neutral and unexpressive at first. But after only a few moments, it begins to impart caramel, apricot and lemon zest in slow measure. The blend is 20% Grechetto, 20% Malvasia, 20% Garganega with other white grapes. It sees skin contact for 15 days and is inoculated with indigenous yeasts. If you are a fan of Santa Chiara, the 2010 vintage is exceptional. Drink: 2014-2019. Reigning proud in the field of esoteric wines, Paolo Bea embodies a winemaking philosophy that speaks directly to the heart of those who celebrate the cult of the grape. This small, family run estate follows a purist, environmentalist and natural approach with indigenous yeasts, warmer fermentation temperatures, extended skin macerations and traditional aging vessels. Considering the instability inherent to many of those variables, vintage influence plays an extremely important role in the final outcome. These two wines, from the excellent 2010 and 2007 harvests respectively, are quintessential Bea. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, www.madrose.com

The 2009 Santa Chiara is a totally intriguing wine. A blend of 20% Grechetto, 20% Malvasia and 20% Garganega plus other white grapes, the Santa Chiara spent 17 days on its skins in steel tanks and was fermented with ambient yeasts with no temperature control. It is a striking wine, most notably for the way it completely covers every inch of the palate with fruit. Despite its textural richness, this never comes across as heavy. Sweet peach, almond, spices and a hint of orange peel linger on the multi-dimensional, almost lush finish. Readers who want to explore the whites that are sometimes referred to as ‘orange wines’ without going to the more eccentric styles may want to start here. This is a stunning wine from Giampaolo Bea. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2019. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchants, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990

The 2008 Santa Chiara is a gorgeous wine. Sweet spices, orange peel and ripe fruit come together beautifully in this rich, expansive white. The finish is long and impeccable. Santa Chiara is a blend of equal parts Grechetto, Malvasia, Sauvignon, Garganega and Sauvignon, which were co-fermented for 15 days. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2017. Giampiero Bea is one of Umbria’s leading producers. The wines are made in a totally natural, non-interventionalist style, with no temperature control in fermentation, only natural yeasts and no added sulfites. At their best, these are wonderfully pure, expressive wines loaded with character. Because Bea lets nature runs its course, the wines are highly vintage sensitive. In great years the wines are typically fabulous but in weaker vintages the wines tend to reflect both the positive and negative attributes of those years to a higher degree than most wines these days. Whether that is a good or bad thing depends on one’s point of view, but there is no mistaking that when Bea has ideal conditions to work with his wines are stellar. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchants, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990