I just opened this today after a pre-order purchase from Saratoga Wine. It is my virgin experience with Emidio Pepe Trebbiano. I understand there is more than one version of this wine - I assume this is the version exported to the USA as I got it pre-order from Saratoga Wine.
It is a mineral-laced wine that gives off flavors of lemon rind, apple and pear. It has good acidity and immediately hits the palate. However, I think it lacked a pronounced finish.
Good, and it definitely makes me want to keep sipping - there is something that pulls you back to the glass – but … for the price of four of Tiberio’s Trebbiano … Am I perhaps drinking this too early?
I had three 2021s that I decided to drink through quickly given the reports of premox for this producer. Maybe they are amazing with age, but I didn’t want to risk it. They were good and enjoyable, but not a rebuy for the price.
I’m a Pepe fanboy, but I also like Tiberio and would never argue against the value prop in Christianas wines- not sure how she does it, tbh.
That being said- Pepe’s whites are more variable than the MdAs. And, despite that, they age glacially and when on clay be magical. The ‘05 and ‘09 Trebbianos were sublime from Pepe’s cellars when I visited them last summer. So, I wouldn’t necessarily write off a 22 at this point in its evolution. Then again, I’ve had some clunker 16s and 18s recently.
The Pepe last night definitely needed time in the glass. It was a bit mute at first but continued to broaden over a couple of hours through (IMO) a combination of the air and being a tad cold to start. Very good and one I’d like to try again in 10 years to see the difference.
There is more than one version of the Trebbiano from Pepe, the old vine bottling that the official US importers bring in has a ‘Vecchie Vigne’ stamp on the label. (This started with the 2019 vintage, and older re-releases too.) The bottle you show is the Italian bottling, which is quite different.
For more information on this, look at the Pepe page on our website, we’ve posted the winery’s statement on the two cuvées.
Ultramarine was 2019 (dg 2023) and pretty solid. The best US sparkler that I’ve had and competitive with many entry level champs in the $40-60 range. It would be interesting to put it next to a few.
The 2022, 2021, and 2016 mentioned in this thread are all the Italian bottling. Which I always find to be good, not great, and a better buy when you’re actually in Italy than the cost to get one over here. The VV bottle on the other hand can be absolutely profound. The 2016 was one of the most memorable wines I’ve ever had and was my favorite of 17 wines on the table that night. The last 2021 non-VV I had was fine, a little dilute, a solid summer sipper for me. I think I paid $65, also through Saratoga, and it wasn’t worth it. The VV doesn’t cost much more than that on release, I think I paid somewhere in the $80s for the 2019.
Another +1 for Tiberio up and down the range, as a 2021 Fonte Canale easily bested a 2019 Valentini side-by-side a few months ago. All three of us agreed. The $20 bottle also has to be one of the best values in wine, period.
At least now they look different, they used to carry the same label. If the retailer isn’t talking about old vines I would assume it’s the base bottling.
