The title says it all.
And I guess I don’t need to write any introductions to Emidio Pepe - after all, the winery is not only one of the most famous names of Abruzzo (along with Valentini) but also one of the most celebrated Italian producers of all time. Not a small feat, considering how almost all the other globally acclaimed Italian producers come either from Piedmont or Tuscany and basically nobody pays any attention to the Abruzzese wines.
Emidio Pepe has also been notorious for their two bottlings of Montepulciano: the regular Montepulciano is made with estate fruit sourced from all the vineyards and aged for two years in concrete tanks, then bottled unfined and unfiltered released for the domestic market. For the export (basically the US) market they had a different bottling that was made exclusively with the fruit from their oldest vineyards and aged for a total of five years before release. The problem was that in the past both these wines were bottled with identical labels and you really couldn’t know which one you had - unless the wine was less than five years old at the time of purchase, when it was obvious it wasn’t the export version. Fortunately today Emidio Pepe bottles the export versions with a “Selezione Vecchie Vigne” insignia. This is a welcome change, since the domestic bottles used to be quite affordable compared to the export versions, which is why often the domestic bottles were sourced directly from the Italian market and marketed as the more expensive export version.
From what I’ve understood, all these wines we tasted were the domestic versions of EP Montepulciano, since they’ve all been purchased from Italy. However, it is impossible to tell at this point, since I’ve understood there’s really no way to tell an older bottle of regular Montepulciano from a Vecchie Vigne!
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1975 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (13.3.2023)
100% Montepulciano from organically farmed vineyards, all fruit fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously and aged for two years in concrete tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13% alcohol. Bottle no. 17370.
Luminous, translucent and medium-deep reddish plummy color with an aged maroon hue. The nose feels aged, oxidative and nutty with tertiary aromas of dried cranberries and prunes, some pungent notes of rancio, a little bit of syrupy richness, light raisiny tones, a hint of dried flowers, a touch of smoke and a whiff of soy sauce. The wine is silky, textural and harmonious on the palate with a moderately full body and very tertiary flavors of cranberry sauce and syrupy richness, some pruney and raisiny tones, a little bit of sharp and salty soy sauce, light fragrant nuances of dried flowers, a hint of old leather and a vinegary touch of acetic VA. The wine is ripe, lengthy and very tertiary with a silky, sweet-toned aftertaste of syrupy richness and raisins, some leathery notes, a little bit of oxidative soy sauce, light balsamic notes of VA, a hint of dried cranberries and a touch of nutty rancio.
A very old and tertiary vintage of Pepe's Montepulciano that is still pretty tasty and enjoyable but obviously sliding downhill. There is still quite a bit of fruit and depth here, but most fruit flavors have turned quite pruney or raisiny and some oxidative notes have crept in as well. Although an old wine by any standards, it is still not fully lost - better to drink any remaining bottles while they are still drinkable! This wine ain't getting any younger!
(85 points) -
1980 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (13.3.2023)
100% Montepulciano from organically farmed vineyards, all fruit fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously and aged for two years in concrete tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13% alcohol. Bottle no. 7215.
Rather deep and dark pomegranate red color with an evolved maroon hue. The nose feels rich, sweet-toned and quite aged with rather tertiary aromas of sweet Madeira-like dried dates, varnish and arrack, some raisiny tones, a little bit of cherry marmalade, light volatile notes of nail polish, a hint of evolved meaty character and a hint of fresh black cherry. The wine feels broad, evolved and open-knit on the palate with a full body and moderately tertiary flavors of dried figs and raisins, some pruney tones, a little bit of balsamic VA and nail polish, light nuances of cherry marmalade, a hint of baking spices and a touch of syrupy richness. The wine is moderately high in acidity with sparse, fully resolved tannins that don't hold any grip anymore. The finish is juicy, evolved and textural with a long, tertiary aftertaste of raisins and dried figs, some balsamic notes of VA, a little bit of syrupy richness, light cherry marmalade tones, a hint of baking spices and a touch of nail polish.
This bottle was already past its peak and on a decline, but still thoroughly enjoyable for a senescent wine. Had this been served blind, I wouldn't have had any idea what wine it was or where it came from, as the very tertiary notes had already overwhelmed much if not all sense of place. However, the wine wasn't in pieces yet - there weren't that much oxidized qualities here, so the overall feel was just of an old wine dominated by dried-fruit flavors and balsamic tones. All in all, pretty nice stuff, but I heartily recommend consuming any and all remaining bottles before they fall apart completely.
(88 points) -
1982 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (13.3.2023)
100% Montepulciano from organically farmed vineyards, all fruit fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously and aged for two years in concrete tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13% alcohol. Bottle no. 9001.
Deep, dark and quite evolved pomegranate color that permits very little light through. The nose feels dry and spicy with complex, moderately evolved aromas of dried fruits and leathery funk, some raisiny tones, a little bit of licorice root, light lifted notes of ethery VA, a hint of cranberry sauce, a touch of dried red plums and a fine fragrant whiff of arrack. The wine feels dry, evolved and somewhat rustic on the palate with a rather full body and complex, savory flavors of leather and wizened black cherries, some licorice root tones, a little bit of cranberry sauce, light volatile notes of balsamico, an autumnal hint of damp leaves and a touch of meaty umami. The wine still retains good sense of structure with its high acidity and supple, slightly grippy medium tannins. The finish is evolved, savory and lengthy with a layered aftertaste of gamey meat and autumnal leaves, some leathery tones, a little bit of sweet black cherry, light licorice root tones, a hint of balsamic VA and a touch of brambly raspberry.
A fine, serious and somewhat burly vintage of Emidio Pepe that certainly shows its age, but hasn't started to fall apart yet. The overall feel is firm, wonderfully savory and so nuanced with good sense of tertiary complexity, evolved yet vibrant fruit tones and a touch of rusticity. I'd say the wine is on its plateau of maturity now. It has been there for quite some time already, and it will remain there for a good handful of years more. Fine and delicious stuff; better to drink sooner than later - even if the wine can keep, it really doesn't benefit from any further aging. This is as good as it is going to get.
(92 points) -
1986 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (13.3.2023)
100% Montepulciano from organically farmed vineyards, all fruit fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously and aged for two years in concrete tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13% alcohol.
Luminous, evolved and moderately translucent brick-red color. The exquisite nose feels open and wonderfully fragrant with enormously attractive aromas of perfumed floral tones and exotic spices, some apple jam, a little bit of ripe Bing cherry, light brambly notes of black raspberries, a hint of dried figs and a touch of arctic bramble. There's really a lot of stuff going on here. The wine is silky, open and textural on the palate with a rather full body and very intense flavors of black raspberries and arctic brambles, some crunchy notes of tart cranberries and lingonberries, a little bit of perfumed floral character, light gravelly mineral tones, a hint of exotic spices, a ferrous touch of blood and a faint, sweet nuance of apple jam. The medium tannins are pretty mellow and gently grippy, whereas the high acidity lends great sense of structure to the wine while giving a good boost to the flavor intensity. The finish is long, spicy and very gently grippy with a complex, harmonious aftertaste of tart lingonberries and cranberries, some exotic spices, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light floral nuances of rose petals and violets, brambly hints of black raspberries and arctic bramble and a meaty touch of roasted game.
This was simply a fantastic vintage of Pepe's Montepulciano and hands down my favorite of the ten vintages (between 1975 and 2014) we tasted. Not only was the wine still fully alive with very vibrant and focused fruit flavors, but the wine also showed fantastic intensity of flavors and some very fragrant and nuanced qualities no other wine had. The harmony here was simply on another level. It's quite hard to assess whether the wine was on its plateau of maturity or if there is still some potential for future development, but most likely this wine will continue to keep for years more - maybe even decades! I wouldn't be surprised if this wine just continued to evolve and improve with additional aging. Truly an extraordinary wine - probably the best Montepulciano I've ever tasted!
(96 points) -
2000 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (13.3.2023)
100% Montepulciano from organically farmed vineyards, all fruit fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously and aged for two years in concrete tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13% alcohol. Bottle no. 23052.
Slightly translucent blackish-red color that doesn't really look that youthful nor particularly aged. The nose feels heavily bretty with pronounced, almost lambic-like notes of saddle leather and phenolic spice along with lighter notes of bilberries, some lifted notes of nail polish VA, a little bit of crisp and greasy bacon, light chokeberry tones, a flinty hint of smoke and a rustic touch of barnyard. The wine feels ripe, dense and juicy on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and intense flavors of black cherries, some bretty notes of saddle leather and barnyard, light phenolic lambic tones, a little bit of peppery spice, light crunchy notes of chokeberries and blueberries and a hint of sour cherry. The overall feel is balanced and pretty firmly structured with the rather high acidity and somewhat grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is The finish is spicy, quite funky and moderately grippy with a long, ripe aftertaste of juicy bilberries and fresh cherries, some bretty notes of leather and phenolic spice, light sweeter nuances of chokeberry jam, a hint of barnyard and a touch of forest floor.
A firm, vibrant and still quite youthful Montepulciano that is quite heavily dominated by bretty notes. While Pepe wines can be quite rustic, this 2000 was on a completely different level in our tasting of ten Pepe Montepulcianos and I feel this level of brett isn't that typical of the usual Pepe style anymore. This was a lovely wine in all other aspects, but even for a fan of rustic, funky wines like me, this wine started to get a bit too bretty - at times it was pretty hard to discern any finer nuances due to the quite pronounced bretty notes. Seeing how the wine was still relatively youthful, I can see this vintage not just keeping but evolving for many, many years more. However, I doubt no amount of aging will change the fact that this vintage of Pepe Montepulciano can be - and if it is, it will also remain - just super bretty.
(89 points) -
2005 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (13.3.2023)
100% Montepulciano from organically farmed vineyards, all fruit fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously and aged for two years in concrete tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13% alcohol. Bottle no. 32408.
Strikingly dense, dark and opaque blackish-red color with a youthful blueish hue. The nose feels a bit restrained but also very fine-tuned and attractive with fragrant aromas of chokeberry jam and wizened black cherries, some leathery funk, a little bit of tobacco, light smoky nuances of phenolic spice, sweet hints of ripe figs and juicy blackcurrants, a touch of bilberry and a whiff of pencil shavings. The wine feels ripe, juicy and rather dry on the palate with a quite full body and somewhat restrained yet wonderfully fine-tuned flavors of black cherries and blueberries, some tart notes of fresh plums, a little bit of tobacco, light earthy notes, a hint of leathery funk and a bittersweet touch of chokeberry jam. The overall texture is pretty open-knit yet still showing great sense of firmness and structure with its rather high acidity and moderately grippy tannins. The finish is rich, juicy and quite grippy with a long, layered aftertaste of blueberries and ripe dark plums, some chokeberry jam tones, a little bit of tobacco, light earthy notes, a hint of ripe figs and a touch of leathery funk.
A very attractive, youthful and quite impressive vintage of Pepe's Montepulciano. The overall feel is maybe a bit closed compared to the other vintages of Pepe's Montepulciano we tasted at the same time, but it's certainly possible the wine just needs more age - at least it seemed to very slowly open up during the evening, which would suggest the wine might turn out to be more expressive with some additional cellaring. There's a tiny bit of bretty funk here, but the overall feel is still more vibrant and fruit-driven rather than rustic and barnyardy. However, what is the most remarkable here is the sheer intensity and sense of structure here - very rarely producers manage to coax out this much depth and structure out of Montepulciano, and when some producers do, the wines tend to be clumsy and over-extracted. There is nothing clumsy or over-extracted here - this is simply on point. A beautiful wine that will continue to evolve and improve over many, many more years. Highly recommended. If opened now, let the wine aerate for a few hours, just to let it open up a bit.
(94 points) -
2009 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (13.3.2023)
100% Montepulciano from organically farmed vineyards, all fruit fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously and aged for two years in concrete tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13% alcohol. Bottle no. 21162.
Dense, fully opaque blackish-red color. The nose feels expressive but also very atypical with odd, roasted aromas of sun-dried dark fruits and pipe tobacco, some raisiny and pruney tones, a little bit of odd, leafy greenness, light animale nuances of bretty funk, meaty hints of game and salami, a touch of fresh black cherry and a whiff of dried parasol mushroom. The wine feels dense, savory and surprisingly meaty on the palate with a full body and flavors of ripe black cherries, some umami notes of fried mushrooms, a little bit of wizened figs, light greasy bacon tones, a hint of extracted bitterness and an odd vegetal touch of leafy greenness. The overall feel is a bit soft and even slightly blowzy for a Pepe Montepulciano with its medium-to-moderate acidity and ripe, gentle and rather supple medium-minus tannins. The finish is long, juicy and somewhat soft with flavors of prunes and wizened black cherries, some raisiny tones, a little bit of gamey meat, light mushroomy notes of umami, a hint of extracted bitterness and a touch of balsamic richness.
A super-ripe, big and quite extracted example of Pepe's Montepulciano where the hot vintage really shows. In our vertical tasting of ten Pepe Montepulcianos, this vintage stuck out like a sore thumb - no other vintage seemed so big, ripe and soft in character. Some other vintages did shows similar pruney and raisiny tones, but those vintages seemed to exhibit those characteristics due to their advanced age, whereas here they seemed to be because of the vintage. And I guess the vintage might also explain the very savory, noticeably meaty and rather mushroomy tones that the other vintages didn't show. All in all, this was a decent and quite enjoyable effort, but I must say the wine didn't really match the level of quality seen in the better vintages. I guess the wine can keep for many, many more years, but I really didn't get a feel that there would be much to gain by additional aging; structurally the wine is very approachable - even a bit too soft and slightly lacking in energy - now, and the fruit flavors were getting so savory and pruney that I wouldn't want them to go any bit more into that direction.
(87 points) -
2011 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (13.3.2023)
100% Montepulciano from organically farmed vineyards, all fruit fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously and aged for two years in concrete tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13,5% alcohol. Bottle no. 29745.
Dense, fully opaque black cherry color that doesn't appear aged nor particularly youthful, either. The nose feels sweet-toned and slightly funky with aromas of ripe black cherries, some leathery notes of brett, a little bit of balsamic VA, light bramblu notes of black raspberries, a spicy hint of brett phenolics, a touch of wizened figs and a whiff of alcohol. The wine feels dense, juicy and quite chewy on the palate with a medium body and quite savory flavors of crunchy chokeberries and sour cherry bitterness, some funky lambic-like notes of brett, a little bit of gamey meat, light sweeter notes of boysenberries and wizened dark plums, a volatile hint of balsamic richness and a touch of iodine. The wine is beautifully textural but also impressively structured and sinewy with its high acidity and rather assertive, moderately grippy tannins. The finish is dry, dense and juicy with moderately pronounced tannic grip and a long, savory aftertaste of chokeberries and sour cherry bitterness, some blueberry tones, a little bit of ripe dark plum, light funky notes of leather and lambic-like phenolic spice, a hint of tobacco and a touch of balsamic VA.
In a tasting of ten Pepe Montepulcianos, this wine was the most similar to the funky yet powerful 2000 vintage. However, while that 2000 vintage was very heavily bretty with almost overwhelming funky tones, this wine had more intensity and concentration in the fruit department (probably thanks to its younger age) and a good deal less brett. This was still probably the second funkiest wine in the tasting, but here the bretty funk just added to the rustic charm of the wine without overwhelming any of the finer nuances. Structurally the wine was still very firm and pretty unresolved and from the flavor perspective the wine was still remarkably youthful for its age, even if the overall style wasn't primary in any way, anymore. Both these qualities promise volumes on the aging potential of the wine; even if the wine is very impressive now, I say it has still many, many years - maybe even decades - ahead. Drink, if you must, but preferably keep - this wine will reward patient cellaring.
(93 points) -
2013 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (13.3.2023)
100% Montepulciano from organically farmed vineyards, all fruit fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously and aged for two years in concrete tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13% alcohol. Bottle no. 6106.
Dense, fully opaque blackish-red color. The nose feels somewhat restrained yet enjoyably nuanced with savory aromas of gamey meat and savory spices, some ripe black cherries, a little bit of wizened sour cherry, light fragrant notes of elderflower, a hint of balsamic richness, a touch of something vaguely metallic and a whiff of sweet raisiny fruit. The wine feels quite dense yet also surprisingly dry, sinewy and relatively delicate for a Pepe MdA with a medium body and intense, crunchy flavors of dark forest fruits and fresh blueberries, some inky tones, a little bit of leathery funk, light earthy nuances, tart and slightly bitter hints of lingonberries and chokeberries and a touch of licorice root. The wine is high in acidity with firm, well-proportioned and moderately grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is long, dry and somewhat linear with a savory aftertaste of tart lingonberries and sour cherry bitterness, some ferrous notes of blood, a little bit of leathery funk, light tobacco nuances, a hint of crunchy chokeberry and a touch of game.
At first this seemed surprisingly lean and underwhelming vintage of Pepe Montepulciano, but aeration did its magic and with some breathing the wine turned out to be more expressive and enjoyable - although the overall style still remained a bit reticent until the end. The overall style here seemed to be leaner and somewhat lighter in body compared to the other vintages we tasted in the ten-wine Pepe Montepulciano vertical. However, even if the wine feels a bit thinner in comparison to the other vintages, it really doesn't feel like a more dilute wine - the intensity certainly is there and despite its somewhat light disposition the wine comes across more as stern rather than meagre and insubstantial. The overall feel is that of a wine that was just opened way too young and aeration could rectify this to only some degree. I expect the wine to open up and develop additional complexity, but knowing how age-worthy these red Pepes are, I imagine it will take another decade or two before this wine reaches its apogee. It's a fine wine, but in dire need for additional aging.
(91 points) -
2014 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (13.3.2023)
100% Montepulciano from organically farmed vineyards, all fruit fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously and aged for two years in concrete tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13,5% alcohol. Bottle no. 6295.
Dense, fully opaque blackish-red color with a faint evolved maroon hue. The nose feels dry and somewhat odd with a rather pronounced of leesy character that's so heavy on yeasty notes that the wine smells almost like rising bread dough - along with more vinous aromas of cranberries and crowberries, some sanguine notes of iron, a little bit of game, light crunchy nuances of crowberries, a hint of gravelly minerality and a touch of meaty or maybe slightly rubbery reduction. The wine is dense and surprisingly tough and closed on the palate with a full body and dry flavors of gamey meat and yeast slurry, some crunchy notes of crowberries and tart cranberries, a little bit of earth, light spicy notes of bretty phenolic character, a hint of leathery funk and a touch of gravelly minerality. The overall feel is pretty ripe without much fruit or any sense of sweetness - the non-fruit flavors pretty much dominate this wine. The rather high acidity and quite grippy tannins keep the wine pretty structured and the fruit offers very little foil to this. The finish is dry, chewy and quite grippy with a rather long, savory aftertaste of dark-toned berries and gamey meat, some crunchy crowberry tones, a little bit of earthy character along with autumnal nuances of damp leaves, light funky notes of saddle leather, a hint of ripe raspberry and a touch of angular, slightly bitter minerality.
This seemed a bit odd and awkward for a Pepe MdA - after a streak of bold and quite fruity wines, this 2014 vintage seemed surprisingly reticent and non-fruity, even with quite a bit of air. Even weirder was the somewhat pronounced note of yeasty character that was quite noticeable both in the nose and on the palate. I really hope that either we had a weird off bottle or the wine was just caught at a clumsy spot and it will come together with additional aging. This wasn't bad wine per se - even if the overall feel was a bit on the tough side, there was still lots of concentration, intensity, structure and even sense of balance in the wine. This vintage was just so very different and atypical for this particular wine. This was not my favorite vintage, but this wine wasn't as bad as my note might make it sound, either. I just hope either age or simply another bottle will fix the problems we encountered in our wine.
(88 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
