Interesting to see that you picked up on these wines as often bretty, which given role of skins, is entirely logical, and something I have often perceived in them, but something no one seems to comment on. For me it’s the fly in the ointment in what would otherwise be Italy’s great white wine. I almost wish I could go back to the days when I didn’t notice/object to these aromas/flavors, just to be able to appreciate them how I used to.
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Indeed, I’ve found it very weird as well how most people either don’t seem to comment on how the wines are bretty, or they just don’t notice it at all. Perhaps these people think that only red wines can be bretty and this bretty character sort of becomes imperceptible if one comes across it in an atypical medium?
Anyways, I’ve loved (reasonably) bretty wines since the beginning and that hasn’t changed - but overtly bretty wines are another thing. There is a limit what is tolerable even for me. 
And I guess VA is something I was more tolerable in the past. Now I can still appreciate a tiny bit of acetic tang or other related aromas or flavors in a wine, but any more than that and it’s a negative thing for me.
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Valentini could probably be considered a ‘natural’ producer who was making ‘natural’ wines before there was such a term. Eduardo was even bottling by hand in a cellar that was less than sterile. Regardless of that, I don’t disagree there were or are impurities in the wines. I haven’t had any since Eduardo stopped making them but, as far as I know, they’re still being made in the same way.
The issue of brett that William raises made me wonder about some famous wines that have or had notorious traces of brett and/or what are commonly accepted as elevated levels of VA. I’m not interested in bashing particular producers but it’s pretty easy to think of examples from the southern Rhone, BDX, the Loire, Rioja, Lebanon, etc. Some of these have or had almost cult-like followings. What I am wondering is if anyone can cite examples of wineries that cleaned things up and the wines actually became less appealing by losing a sense of individuality. I don’t mean a total change of style that might imply something like a shift from ‘traditional’ to ‘modern’ but one where the wines just kind of lost anything that really made them stand out in appealing way amongst peers.
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I’m amongst those who think Musar isn’t as much fun / interesting as it used to be when brett, VA and whatever else were more prominent.
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First, again, thank you very much for this discussion.
I now have two 2019 Valentini Trebbianos in my cellar. I am going to give it a shot and bring one to the wine dinner, but I am going to decant it at lunchtime. Given that I have two bottles, I don’t have the patience to not try one for the next 5+ years! I guess I will just have to expect a certain funkiness and non-traditional aspect to the wine.
That said, it seems I will have to store the Pepe Montepulciano for at least that long - meaning 5 years. I did have a 2014 not long ago, and it was accessible. The word “rustic” and cranberry came to mind. But I am also told that 2014 was not a great vintage.
If anyone is willing to go farther down this road to Abruzzo, is the production method with Valentini so “special” that it warrants the high price, given that unlike places like Barolo where the price of land is extremely high, in Abruzzo it is not?
And do you consider Emidio Pepe to be on par with the Valentini in terms of the production method and drinking experience? In other words, are they each brothers-in-arms, or instead is one the Jedi Master?
Also, I was told something like that Pepe actually adds new wine to old bottles in storage which sounded odd; like they uncork the bottles, top them off, and then re-cork them.
I would say it’s more a brothers-in-arms relationship. At least, that’s what Emidio’s granddaughter, Elisa, told me last month when we visited. Eduardo and Emidio had a long-standing tradition of sharing cases of each new vintage with each other over many, many years. There’s a lot of Valentini in the Pepe personal cellars. I think the two of them where amongst the first (the first?!) to make Abruzzo wine that was estate bottled and not sold to bulk - as are much of the area’s wines.
As far as being “special” - my answer is yes. Valentini and Pepe are amongst the great wines of the world. That’s a subjective claim, as are most claims about what makes wine great or special.
Pepe holds back half of their production every vintage - around 40,000 bottles. The bottles are decanted and labeled prior to cellar release years later. Maybe there are topped off as it’s all done by hand- not sure they add “new” wine to the decanted bottles.
Here’s one of my pics of one of their cellars
My 2 cents. Your money back if not satisfied with my response 
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Second this. Beaucastel is another famous example that springs to mind.
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UPDATE: I brought the 2019 Valentini to the other regions of Italy dinner (besides Piedmont, Tuscany, and Etna) hosted by a friend, and out of 12 bottles, everyone agreed it was the clear winner.
I double decanted for a couple hours beforehand. I am not sure that it did anything for the wine. If anything, it made it feel like it had a little less of a punch.
I am new to the grape and to Valentini. It is an exquisite wine that is multi-dimensional on the palate and lingers with this really interesting finish. By analogy, it is kind of like the other wines were like “Love Me Do” and the Valentini was like Dylan coming along with “Blowin’ in the Wind.” There is just a depth and complexity there…
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