Description
Emidio Pepe, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
The man, the myth, the legend: We’ve all given that honorific to someone who’s not really deserving, which dilutes its impact when it’s bestowed on someone who is—someone like Emidio Pepe, for example, the octogenarian Italian winemaker from Abruzzo who enjoys worldwide fame despite rarely leaving home and not saying much. His artful and idiosyncratic wines (and, these days, his charismatic granddaughter, Chiara) do the talking for him.
Since he first took over his family’s vineyards and winery in 1964, Pepe has charted his own unique course in a region known for juicy, cheerful, mass-produced wines from the Montepulciano and Trebbiano grapes. His were “natural wines” long before that was a thing, and nothing has changed: Farming is biodynamic; grapes are crushed by foot (or hand); there isn’t an oak barrel anywhere to be found; no sulfur is used; and the wines for export are aged for many years in their cellar before being hand-decanted into a new bottle, re-corked, labeled, and shipped. Today’s cellar-direct Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, from the 2012 vintage, is a case in point: This wine, sourced from the estate’s oldest vines (vecchie vigne), spent a minimum of five years (and likely more) aging in the winery’s cellars before its release. At nearly a decade of age, its impeccable provenance is showing: If I hadn’t experienced it myself many times, I’d be surprised to hear someone comparing Montepulciano d’Abruzzo to fine red Burgundy. But that’s exactly where I’m going here, and this silken beauty still has years of evolution ahead of it. Pepe Montepulciano is one of the most sought-after Italian collectibles out there, for good reason, and we can offer up to three bottles per person to a very lucky few today. Andiamo!
Years ago, the Pepe family created two distinct sales channels for their wines. Those destined for export are sourced from older vines and labeled “Selezione Vecchie Vigne.” Wines for the Italian market are from younger vines and are released after a shorter aging period in bottle. Right now, the 2012 and 2013 vintages of the “Selezione Vecchie Vigne” Montepulciano are the current releases in the US market. If you see anything younger out there, it made it to the US via “unauthorized” means. Although the wines bottled for export are aged for many years in bottle first to protect them from the rigors of travel, these are nevertheless un-sulfured, unfiltered wines that require more careful handling. These days, with fifth-generation Chiara De Iulis Pepe overseeing exports and working closely with her US importers, provenance is closely monitored.
This has introduced a welcome level of consistency to a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that re-defines what’s possible with this grape. In most producers’ hands, Montepulciano is one of the friendliest, juiciest, most reliably fruity varieties out there but not typically one with this kind of aromatic complexity and firm structure. As Emidio Pepe aficionados are aware, this wine is produced in the most traditional manner imaginable: the hand-harvested and hand-destemmed grapes are pressed by foot and fermented and aged in concrete vats. The lengthy bottle aging process follows.
Now approaching a decade old, this 2012 is a deep ruby with flecks of garnet and orange, with a potpourri of spice notes (coriander, cumin, pekoe tea) layered into a dense mass of black and red cherries, plums, licorice, and some dark turned earth. It is medium-plus in body, with Montepulciano’s characteristically gentle tannins but mouth-watering acidity lending backbone. The mix of wildness and silken elegance is always what stands out for me—like many great “old school” red Burgundies, you get a clear sense of place when drinking these wines—and the balance is such that it should age a decade more with ease. This is also a wine that benefits from decanting about an hour or so before service in Burgundy bowls at 60 degrees. It will evolve in the glass as you enjoy it alongside a classic Abruzzese dish like the one attached. This is a landmark Italian red everyone should experience, so grab a little for yourself. Enjoy!
