TN: 2016 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo)

WINE TALK
1

Damn you…quit drinking these!! They need like 20yrs on them right? I actually love the softness in this for such a young and mammoth wine that’s meant to age at glacial pace. The smoky tar and funk, against the sweet fresh crushed berry fruit is an intrigue. My first note is still spot on, so no change in the 3 bottles consumed so far. Now…PLEASE hold the rest…for at least 10 or so years? [beg.gif]

  • 2016 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (10/9/2018)
    Open in bottle for 5hrs…dark inky black cherry color…somewhat shy nose of anise, blackberry, currants, tar, slight brett ala Rhone funk. Juicilicious wine here…deep and dark fruited, borderline dried raisined, yet a freshness with that Italian acidity that energizes like no other. This is SO young…I get it…showing monolithic plushness, a polished El Capitan with its size and age ability…this dude will outlive me for sure. Wonderful dark earth and minerality…florals, smoky tar, fruit jam…an intriguing wine for sure, that will only get better. ++pts (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

810×1080 189 KB

2

We had the 1983 earlier this year. Felt it should have been drunk 15 years before!

Nothing wrong in enjoying them when they are delicious!

3

I miss these, but simply cannot afford them anymore. Too bad. If I’m ever in your neighborhood, I may ask you to open one up for me!

4

They are delicious young in every vintage
But
I am keeping mine until you cannot buy fossil-driven cars anymore

5

Just had a number of these this week (03/05/07) and I’ve had a lot over the years at various ages. The 70s/80s bottles can be delicious but also really variable (particularly the former, perhaps because they move around a lot). I think I like them best at about 20 to 25 years.

6

Envoyer had them earlier in the year for about $50

7

Didn’t see that. I was looking at the recent past vintages that were selling around $120 or so. Thanks!

8

2016 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (5/26/2019)
– decanted approx. 1.25 hours before initial taste –
– tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 1.5 hours –

NOSE: concentrated cherry Twizzlers; mineral; some darker berries; brooding.

BODY: very dark color of great depth.

TASTE: dark-fruited; packed; good acidity; medium-light brett note is somewhat worrisome, as this is otherwise a wine I’d love to be buying for my cellar at home. Will improve with age if the brett doesn’t go crazy. Gut impression score: 90 - 92.

9

Bear in mind that some of the Pepe Montepulciano sold in the US is the Italian bottling, which is not the same as the wine imported directly into the US. The US bottling has always been an Old Vines bottling, and now (finally, from this year forward) is being labelled as ‘Vigne Vecchie.’

(We import Pepe for some markets.)

10

Thank goodness. I don’t understand why many Europeans do this? Just state on the label what it is!

11

Markus, I couldn’t agree with you more.

12

Thank you for posting that, Oliver. I purchased my bottle in Rome, so, presumably, it was the younger vines. If, in fact, it was, now I am very interested in trying the old vines bottling.

13

As far as I know everything that’s sold in Italy is the non-old vines bottling.