2013 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo- Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (11/14/2016)
This was a fun find while on my travels through Italy. At only €37 I felt compelled to finally try this even if it was super young. It’s so deep and damn-near opaque that when held up to the light only a ruby pin-point exists to indicate there is a real wine in the glass. On the nose, it screams of Italy and everything that’s authentic about these wines. Scents of leather, dehydrated beef, cassis, cacao, and a melange of other notes that seems to have the depth of the ocean. My first sip…stopped me in my tracks. Blackberry, blueberry, clove, spice, white grapefruit lead into notes of raspberry, rosemary, all-spice, that lead into a long lingering note of Bing Cherry. This is amazing!!! I’m going back in the morning to get the last bottle they had on the shelf. F-me…I’m going to age these and enjoy this treasure at a later date in my life. This is wonderful now…but will clearly be stunning if given time in the cellar (20+ years). Outstanding!
I didn’t know they released this so young. It’s definitely worth waiting a few extra years at that price, vs. buying older vintages in the US. Nice find.
Marcus, at almost half the cost of what most would pay in the US…why don’t you think of this as a “find”? I liked it enough that I’m drinking a bottle I planned to bring home on the plane so that I can bring a bottle of this in it’s place.
In Italy that is actually on the high side for this wine, I paid 24 € for the 2011 vintage. But regarding the U.S. prices I remember there being a discussion about the exported wine being somehow different to the one that is sold in Italy.
This 2013 would be different than what is sold in the States in that in the States we receive the wine from the old vines on pergola, whereas in Italy they sell the young vine Montepulciano trellised on wires. The pricing difference is intentional from the winery. The United States version is sold later than the young vine wine. The labels are virtually identical.
They are different wines. I tried recently the 2010 old vines side by side the 2010 young vines at the winery, and it was an enlightening experience. The young vines was a more fruit forward, vigorous wine with more polish to the fruit, the old vines was the more magical experience, encompassing more savory tones, a virtuoso wine meant for aging. The mouthfeel was different between the wines. If you see the difference in the vineyards (there are multiple Pepe vineyard parcels), there is a lot more diversity of berry size in a pergola cluster, and a more consistent berry size from the trellised fruit. I say this having visited shortly before harvest. The old vine parcel near the cantina gives particular compelling juice in the berries, compared to the more straightforward trellised fruit. That parcel also has a high percentage of limestone subsoil under the clay.
Anyway, a fun comparison to do if you get the opportunity- the old vine, more expensive bottling side by side with the young vine bottling. The old vine expression is the one that is decanted into a new bottle before being shipped and sold.
An earlier thread indicated that the European, younger vines release is indicated by the presence of a green flag on the back label.
Here’s a photo of the back of a Treb that I got at retail recently in Europe showing the flag. The Monte has the same flag; this is just the bottle that was in front.
Levi - Is it also a different plot or protocol for the Treb released in US?
The green flag means that the wine is certified organic according to European Union standards. It may be that some of their plots meet these standards and others do not and that they prefer to separate them into two different bottlings so that they can take advantage of the certification.
Here’s a brief account of the certification:
“Since the 2012 vintage, the EU has implemented defining regulations for organic wine (prior to 2012, wines were labeled only with “wine made from organic grapes”). The new EU organic certification means wines are made with organically grown grapes, all additives (fining agents, yeast, etc.) are organic, and no GMO’s (or other prohibited ingredients) are allowed. Sulfur additions are limited to 100 ppm in red wines and 150 ppm in white/rosé wines (with a 30mg/l differential where the residual sugar content is more than 2 g/L).”
There seems to be an agreement between the EU and the US to treat their standards for organic wine as equivalent. See here:
So perhaps the decision of which bottling to sell where is just a matter of how much of each is available and the size of the respective market.
I have a bottle of the 2014 Trebbiano I was planning to crack tonight as well. That was only €31. It’s tough, but the wine shop is now closed for the next 10 days…so I won’t get more if it’s not for sale in Venice. Cest La Vie.
Yes, there are differences with the Trebbiano releases as well.
Here is a summary for Montepulciano and Trebbiano. For the Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo it is all the same wine, but that is not sent to the United States. The Pecorino (which does make it to the States) is also all the same wine.
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo old vines:
all from 2 vineyards, which are the oldest vineyards, and both of which are on pergola
not green harvested
smaller berries from and also generally less leaves on the pergola vines. The older vines are less vigorous. Berry size can vary a lot within a grape bunch from the pergola vines, although they are generally smaller berries than the trellised vines
the vine spacing is wider in the pegola parcels- in one of the pergola vineyards it is 3 meters by 3 meters (think about it)
the oldest vineyard at Pepe faces full south (some of the others do not), and it is about 30% limestone subsoil under the clay
about 70% of the Pepe vineyard surface is on pergola, including the Trebbiano that they have planted that way as well
released when it is deemed ready for sale by the family, who tastes through each year to assess the progress of the wines
when this is sold it is decanted from its bottle into a new bottle, without the sediment. It is then bottled with a cork printed with the year the decantation took place (not the year of the harvest- the year of the harvest is on the label). This decantation also means that the old vines sees longer on the fine lees than the young vines, because the old vines is originally bottled with some of those lees (before it is decanted).
this is sold in the United States and the UK
bottled after the young vine wines, so the bottle number is higher
in the future there will be some sort of mark on the label to differentiate the old vine from the young vine bottling; currently there is no such mark
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo young vines:
this was not made before the 1990s (basically, they didn’t have what they deem as young vines before that time, because they weren’t planted yet)
this sees the same amount of time in cement as the old vines (2 years), but the tanks in the cellar are divided by the vineyard parcels (old vine parcels go into certain tanks every year, young vine parcels go into other tanks)
released in Italy after 3 years from the harvest (the 2013 is the current release)
this is sold in Italy and the UK (the UK gets both the young vines and the old vines Montepulciano)
Trebbiano d’Abruzzo old vines:
there is generally only one cement tank of this fermented each year; in big years it can be as much as two tanks
they bottle before the first spring for the old vines, and they anticipate malolactic conversion happening in bottle (unlike the young vine Trebbiano, where malo happens in tank and then it is bottled after)
they want the malo in bottle with the old vine Trebbiano so that the resulting CO2 is trapped in the bottle as a preservative. If your Trebbiano seems a little sprizty or has odd flavors when you first open it, it can be helpful to decant the bottle and release the CO2.
the bottles of this are stored standing up in the winery cellar
bottled after the young vine wines, so the bottle number is higher
I used to think that if it had the green organic flag on the bottle, it was the young vines release, but then I was served an old vine Trebbiano with the flag on the label on this last trip to the winery, so that theory was incorrect
I did a side by side of 2010 Pepe Montepulciano old vines and young vines, both pulled from the winery cellar at the same time. Here are my tasting notes: 2010 Pepe Montepulciano old vines:
more of an oxidative, orange fruit character; some licorice hints. Obvious differences with the young vines: this has a more granular texture, and is much more complex, nuanced. Speaks less loudly. More notes of leather, of rope. More of a cord of structure running through it in the background. This gets better and better with air- with air this becomes a star, an exemplary and complex wine of layers and length. Also sophistication and presence on the palate. There is some noticeable alcohol there.
2010 Pepe Montepulciano young vines:
Softer, more harmonious at this moment. Showing well now. Less complex and nuanced, but also seemingly less rustic than the old vines. A nice wine, but the flavors only go so far. Broad and easy on the palate. Hints of rose and some raspberry fruit. This does have some refinement to the fruit. More harmonious red fruit, but also more one note than the old vines. Less acidity here than in the old vines. With time in the glass this seems more obviously straightforward, while the old vines gains and gains.
Thanks Levi. Those are some really interesting details and I trust the info was hard won.
Bottle identification now seems somewhat problematic. Here’s a picture of the front of the same bottle whose back label is shown above. I bought this last month in Madrid from the Spanish importer.
It has the green flag on the back and no number at all on the front. The cork is not visible without removing the seal.
I suspect it is the young vines release because the 2012 vintage doesn’t appear to be available in the US market. But maybe i would need to remove the seal and compare the date printed on the cork to the vintage date to know?
I also picked up some 2011 Montepulciano from the same source. It has the green flag on the back, a bottle number on the vintage tag (e.g. 25098), and the seal hides the cork. No way to know if the number falls in the “larger” or “smaller” range but I also suspect this is the young vines for the same reasons.
I expect that I will enjoy them either way. Cheers
We have the 2012 Trebbiano available in New York, so it could be either. The cork won’t indicate for the Trebbiano, because they don’t decant that wine at the winery. I would recommend contacting the winery and asking them for some assistance: http://www.emidiopepe.com/en/contacts/
I do not see the 2011 Montepulciano available in New York, nor does any vintage past 2008 for Montepulciano show up in the States on winesearcher, so I suspect you have the young vines there.
Over on Instagram, the good folks of Agriturismo Emidio Pepe have announced that they are taking action to end the confusion between their domestic and export releases by labeling the export release as “vecchie vigne.” A welcome move, imo.
