[Decanted around 4pm. Back in the bottle around 5pm.] Needed time in the glass. I suspect we drank it too fast to fully appreciate its complexity. Still, with fresh Pappardelle Bolognese, it shines.
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Decanted at 6PM From 750ml bottle and tasted repeatedly over 5 hours. Not nearly as wonderful a bottle as the previous one 2 years ago. The nose was lovely with florals, tobacco, leather and cherry along with a smokey background but the palate lacked the wow factor I remember and noted previously. There was certainly a nice elegance about the wine and a core of cherry fruit along with the earthy notes but it was lacking that little extra I expected from my previous experience. I wouldn’t say this was too old by any means, it looked and smelled wonderful with no real oxidative elements and frankly went well with the veal Milanese I made for dinner but the finish was short and lacked some depth. One magnum remaining in the cellar...?
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Wow. Mahogany red. Initially peaty nose: celery salt, saline, leather, dried cherry. Smooth, noticeable acid. Fruit, meat and Worcestershire emerge with time. Crazy and awesome. The best of the night. (96)
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This is such a gorgeous bottle of wine that has that ephemeral characteristic of light to medium body yet tremendous depth of flavor that I love! It is both elegant and rich and layered at the same time. The color is astounding for a 33 year old wine...no bricking even at the edge of a bright, translucent medium garnet color. It is so fresh and young I can see this lasting many years to come especially in larger formats, which this bottle was not. The nose is effusive from the first decanting and even better 2-3 hours later. There are minerals, forest floor, wet leaves, graphite, new shoe leather, red cherry and some spice in the bouquet. The flavors are so complex and layered with the red, tart cherry, huckleberry, leather, graphite, spice, game meat and a long luxurious finish that ends with a sense of Kalamata olives. My only disappointment could be the length of the finish which I wish was just a bit longer. This was amazing with my friend’s braised beef. It’s hard to find a classier more soulful wine that can age as effortlessly in all of Italia. Truly a gem!
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Late release from the winery direct. A beautiful light ruby colour with a little garnet hue. Open with cinnamon, clove, forest floor, plum candy, red plum, pomegranate and red tart cherry. It drinks very well now. The vibrant acidity lifting the intensity of fruits on the palate, together with silky tannin, delivered a very long pleasant finish. It also developed some floral, perfume, tobacco leaves, eucalyptus in the glass over two and a half hour. The 1985 may be a great vintage. I feel this wine still have many years to go with its intensity of fruits and nice acid-tannin structure.
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An absolutely perfect magnum showed all the glories of this unique and incredibly age-worthy wine. The color is quite light and doesn't prepare you for the intensity to come. The nose is so enticing with this incredible smell of cinnamon cherry spice. On the palate, the wine is crisp and intense and full of fresh acidity but shockingly balanced by delicious fresh cherry fruit for a 32-year old wine. The texture is light but quite fine and silky with tang and grip. Then the finish kicks in with a fabulous array of spices driven by cinnamon and cardamon and a very fine floral complexity that dances on the tongue. What an elegant, gorgeously perfumed, mouth-titillating wine that is further enhanced by food. I'm simply awe-struck. At Babbo for SK b-day.
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Really cool wine that drank like it was a quarter of its age. Hard to pin down the fruit profile. Core of dark fruit with an overlying herbal sweetness that provided some lift.
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Bought at retail wine shop. 13.5% abv. Importer-Vitis Imports. According to the cork, this bottle was re-corked in 2014. We bought in 2015. Dark ruby red with a little orange hue around the rim. Does not look 30+ years of age. Smells like wild animals, forest and herbs. Sappy, tight with a little VA showing. Amazing this is 30+ years of age. Who would have thought. High acid. Some balsamic notes. Keeps changing. Great stuff. Wish we had more. YES! I would for sure purchase again.
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much better than last bottle. Black cherries and earth on the nose, with red fruit and spices on the palate. But a delicate, ethereal wine. Paired with papardelle funghi and lamb shank at Boccone, South Orange.
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Da subito generoso, complesso e molto più fine di quello che mi sarei aspettato. Profuma di piccoli frutti rossi, ferro, cuoio, grafite, china, fieno, terra bagnata e poi con l’aria comincia a sprigionare un celestiale aroma floreale che va dalla violetta, alla camomilla, alla rosa. Bocca in equilibrio probabilmente infinito, tannino morbido, fresco di frutta e gustoso come un tortellino in brodo. Che vino! Grazie Matteo.
Grande bottiglia in splendido stato di grazia! Pensavo di aver scritto le note di questa primavera, ma vado a memoria!! Sangue e terra, frutto scuro e tanto corpo sorretto da un' acidità ancora vibrante. Tannini morbidissimi e polverosi, si sposa a meraviglia con una grande tagliata sugosa come questo vino emozionante. Il miglior Pepe bevuto finora
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This must be one of the 'bottle variation' ones. We had this and a bottle of the 2000 vintage. The latter was singing; this one wasn't. Not off, but maybe past its prime.
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This is stunning juice and still quite young and fresh with a real lift of acidity. Light on its feet as a result with an ethereal texture with delicious flavors of black cherries, licorice, smoky earth and forest floor. The finish is structured and complex not unlike a Bordeaux. It was an incredible pairing with the Coniglio at Maialino, NYC where they offer this by the glass! This is a special wine. 95+
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Emidio Pepe 50th Anniversary Dinner, with Chiara and Emidio Pepe (L’Artusi Restaurant, NYC): Still a touch of ruby in the color, but leaning to onion skin at the edge. Stunning nose of earth and black cherries with a hint of coffee beans. I could sniff this all night long. Palate of earth and cherries, great length. A long riveting wine still full of life. Should continue to evolve well for 20 years or more.
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Vigorous and youthful, very full dark fruit, good acidity, some development but still quite primary. Very good. Incredible condition for 30 years old - bought recently from the cantina, which re-bottles older vintages before sale.
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Bottle and fill excellent, the cork looked new making me think this was a reconditioned bottle. The wine was younger then previous bottles, very tight and tart, it improved with air, but never developed the body and drive of other bottles. Perhaps with more air it would have shown better or maybe this bottle was not representative. Overall, a disappointment.
Back on track. Much better than last bottle. Decanted for 4+ hours. Earthy and pure on the palate with a lengthy finish. Wine kept evolving in the glass.
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This is very good wine, clean, austere, barnyard, fruit, etc. Dramatic wine, nice fruit but a bit bitter on its finished at the moment. Long feeling aftertaste.
Everything is like 2008 that I drank a week before. It's a wine for drinking slowly with good friend or wine-lover, not good for food.
IMO, 1985 is one of the best and I hope the bitter will be gone after few years. Then, splendid !!!
From memory: Surprisingly young looking – dark ruby with no signs of bricking. Slightly frizzante upon serving, but once that blew off the wine was absolutely brilliant. Black cherries, earth, autumn leaves, varnish and eucalyptus on the nose and palate. Intriguing mature complexity, good concentration and superb length. Served after an 89 Chasse Spleen – very different, but equally good.
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I am a big fan of Emidio Pepe wines. Previous bottles of the 1985 have been glorious. This bottle was a bit tight upon opening and displayed a bit of oxidation. After an hour in the decanter the wine began to blossom with a terrific earthiness on the palate.
Good wines and fun times as Nicos returns to New York. (La Fonda Del Sol): This wine is very much like Longfellow's little girl who when she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid. Tremendous bottle variation with this wine and I've had some truly horrible bottles, but this was a beautiful showing. There was a bit of concern at the onset when Volatile Acidity dominated, but one has to be patient with this wine and let it breath a bit. Thankfully, the VA blew off to reveal a fresh and fairly fruit-forward wine. Blue and black fruits dominate with licorice and purple flowers. Integrated, yet fresh with nice acidity. Drinking beautifully right now. Solid A-.
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- Aromas of mushroom and eucalyptus - Almost perfect. Every pepe bottle tells a story, and this one was of a man sitting on a porch next to his farm and taking in the elements and the beauty of nature. No other way to describe it.
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Bottle, fill and cork all excellent. We thought this wine might be tainted as we tried a shoulder pour 8 hours prior to dinner. It slow-oxed for 5 hours and then was decanted for 3. Much better with air, shaking off the off-putting aromas and showing the marvelous complexity that bottle age can confer. Probably not appreciated as much as it could have been due to a flight with a large number of superb wines and some tasting fatigue.
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Always a bit of a roll of the dice but it is the price you pay for the potentially ethereal experience. The natural wine gods were looking down on us this evening. Decanted about an hour this started the ever changing dance, I like to call the Full Monte, this wine usually offers when on. Complex ripe preserved fruits, leather and earth. I had to beg my wife to give up here saved glass at the end of the evening. Never faultered.
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Outstanding- elelegant, at its peak or just over, incredible finish, soft, but complex, totally unexpected; thought it would be over the hill. We drank with a Colgin, whose strength could not overshadow the beauty of this wine. Big Surprise1
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Once again the wine of the evening. Drop dead gorgeous evolved fruit nose. Very fleshy on the palate. There was a third dimension texturally as it coated the mouth. When these bottles are on they sing.
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Where do you start with this wine? First the story is pretty amazing. The best overview is: http://www.polanerselections.com/files/producer1753/Pepe+Survey+by+Antonio+Galloni.pdf. The wine was one of the most integrated wines I have ever tasted. Obvious tannins which will allow the wine to last many years yet. But deep fruit which were totally caught up with a cathedral-like structure. Amazing. A plum taste, with good acidity and a finish that went on and on. This is a food wine, which I had with hanger-steak - a great combination. If you are a collector - this is a must wine for your cellar - it is unlike any other Montepuliciano, but also unlike anything else in the wine world.
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Dinner at Acme with Bill, Brian, Lauren & others. Having never had an older Montepulciano, or a good one for that matter, I was looking forward to trying this. Clearly much better than any other Montepulciano I've had, this had a very seductive nose, both sweet and spicy at the same time. The medium bodied palate was much less my style where I found quite a bit of funkiness. If only the nose could have continued on the palate. A medium length finish. While not a wine I would run out to buy it was really very enjoyable to drink. Thanks to Brian for bringing this interesting wine. 50+13+11+7.5+7.5 = 89
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Wilfred's note: This is a wine in which the terrior speaks versus the winemaker. This was right up there with the 85 LLC....a very special wine that was singing last night. A wine of special characteristics--a mix of nervositiy, acidity, fruit, length and balance. To have this wine and the 85 LLC both in one night was extra extra special.
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(Lampreia, Seattle) Dusty old Rioja in character and colour and nose. Really intense acid-based structure and drawn cherry fruits. Brambles and smoke on the edges. A bit of volatile character and caramel notes. Lots of sharp edges here and a certain clunkiness, but well-delineated and great with food.
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Dinner at Lampreia (Seattle, WA): Perfect cork. The only other Pepe I have have had was the 1978, and this was a very different wine. That was meaty, earthy and Rhonish. By comparison, this is somewhat shrill with a very high-pitched nose and nearly screechy acidity. This did fill out considerably with a hint of tar and lots of tangy, vibrant notes of Balsamic, sour cherry and strawberry. A somewhat chunky, rustic wine that makes you think. Rather food friendly. But not showing the complexity, heft and roundness of the 1978.
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JF's Birthday (JF's place, Tucson): Nose of mint - debated between spearmint and wintergreen - and fig. On the palate, this has notes of prunes (in a good way) and plums, with lots of spices - pepper, cumin... Really nice wine. Not everyone's cup of tea. For me 92-93.
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In which we drink French, Italian & German with Dan Fredman. (Il Corso): A thermonuclear explosion of volatile acidity explodes from the glass and devastates nostrils and manicures alike. There’s a touch of mushroom and tart cherry on the palate, but the VA is tongue-stripping. Dan says to give it time, but we all agreed it only got worse. I’ve heard there’s bottle variation with this wine, with some showing really well. Good thing this wasn’t Russian roulette. D.
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Drank at I Truili in New York. First bottle corked, second bottle started with nose of caramel and tarnish, transluscent red, high toned vibrant fruit. Over the course of the meal, wine darkened considerably, becoming much earthier and herbal on the nose and palate. The rare wine that combines hedonism and intellect Great now, not going anywhere for awhile but probably not developing much more either. A delight.
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3/31/2023 - kenv Likes this wine: 94 Points
[Decanted around 4pm. Back in the bottle around 5pm.] Needed time in the glass. I suspect we drank it too fast to fully appreciate its complexity. Still, with fresh Pappardelle Bolognese, it shines.
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11/21/2022 - rinnocenzi Likes this wine: 94 Points
Crazy how this wine is still great.
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9/26/2020 - oldwines Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted at 6PM From 750ml bottle and tasted repeatedly over 5 hours. Not nearly as wonderful a bottle as the previous one 2 years ago. The nose was lovely with florals, tobacco, leather and cherry along with a smokey background but the palate lacked the wow factor I remember and noted previously. There was certainly a nice elegance about the wine and a core of cherry fruit along with the earthy notes but it was lacking that little extra I expected from my previous experience. I wouldn’t say this was too old by any means, it looked and smelled wonderful with no real oxidative elements and frankly went well with the veal Milanese I made for dinner but the finish was short and lacked some depth. One magnum remaining in the cellar...?
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9/20/2020 - dbkitc wrote: 96 Points
Wow. Mahogany red. Initially peaty nose: celery salt, saline, leather, dried cherry. Smooth, noticeable acid. Fruit, meat and Worcestershire emerge with time. Crazy and awesome. The best of the night. (96)
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3/27/2019 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
Incredible aromatics, floral but different and complex. Really, really lively. Palate thins out.
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10/27/2018 - oldwines Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is such a gorgeous bottle of wine that has that ephemeral characteristic of light to medium body yet tremendous depth of flavor that I love! It is both elegant and rich and layered at the same time. The color is astounding for a 33 year old wine...no bricking even at the edge of a bright, translucent medium garnet color. It is so fresh and young I can see this lasting many years to come especially in larger formats, which this bottle was not. The nose is effusive from the first decanting and even better 2-3 hours later. There are minerals, forest floor, wet leaves, graphite, new shoe leather, red cherry and some spice in the bouquet. The flavors are so complex and layered with the red, tart cherry, huckleberry, leather, graphite, spice, game meat and a long luxurious finish that ends with a sense of Kalamata olives. My only disappointment could be the length of the finish which I wish was just a bit longer. This was amazing with my friend’s braised beef. It’s hard to find a classier more soulful wine that can age as effortlessly in all of Italia. Truly a gem!
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3/17/2018 - cool53 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Late release from the winery direct. A beautiful light ruby colour with a little garnet hue. Open with cinnamon, clove, forest floor, plum candy, red plum, pomegranate and red tart cherry. It drinks very well now. The vibrant acidity lifting the intensity of fruits on the palate, together with silky tannin, delivered a very long pleasant finish. It also developed some floral, perfume, tobacco leaves, eucalyptus in the glass over two and a half hour. The 1985 may be a great vintage. I feel this wine still have many years to go with its intensity of fruits and nice acid-tannin structure.
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5/22/2017 - jhngo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Need time juicy.
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4/16/2017 - dream Likes this wine: 97 Points
An absolutely perfect magnum showed all the glories of this unique and incredibly age-worthy wine. The color is quite light and doesn't prepare you for the intensity to come. The nose is so enticing with this incredible smell of cinnamon cherry spice. On the palate, the wine is crisp and intense and full of fresh acidity but shockingly balanced by delicious fresh cherry fruit for a 32-year old wine. The texture is light but quite fine and silky with tang and grip. Then the finish kicks in with a fabulous array of spices driven by cinnamon and cardamon and a very fine floral complexity that dances on the tongue. What an elegant, gorgeously perfumed, mouth-titillating wine that is further enhanced by food. I'm simply awe-struck. At Babbo for SK b-day.
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3/10/2017 - lifeattable wrote: flawed
My bad luck streak with older Pepe bottles continues. Wine was past and I passed on drinking more than a few sips.
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9/24/2016 - bconly wrote: 95 Points
Really cool wine that drank like it was a quarter of its age. Hard to pin down the fruit profile. Core of dark fruit with an overlying herbal sweetness that provided some lift.
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7/7/2016 - coremill wrote: flawed
Flawed by acetaldehyde. Reeks of cider vinegar.
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1/9/2016 - R&L Likes this wine:
Bought at retail wine shop. 13.5% abv. Importer-Vitis Imports. According to the cork, this bottle was re-corked in 2014. We bought in 2015. Dark ruby red with a little orange hue around the rim. Does not look 30+ years of age. Smells like wild animals, forest and herbs. Sappy, tight with a little VA showing. Amazing this is 30+ years of age. Who would have thought. High acid. Some balsamic notes. Keeps changing. Great stuff. Wish we had more. YES! I would for sure purchase again.
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7/24/2015 - Winestein wrote: 94 Points
Aged port on the nose. À point.
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6/20/2015 - AtoZ wrote:
Drank young. Excellent with steak. Really good bottle. Needs 1-2 hour decant.
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4/24/2015 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tartness, earth, leather, and a red, cherry-shaped hole where the fruit used to be. Astoundingly alive for a thirty year old.
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1/31/2015 - M.Batard wrote: 92 Points
much better than last bottle. Black cherries and earth on the nose, with red fruit and spices on the palate. But a delicate, ethereal wine. Paired with papardelle funghi and lamb shank at Boccone, South Orange.
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10/14/2014 - paolonardi wrote: 96 Points
Da subito generoso, complesso e molto più fine di quello che mi sarei aspettato. Profuma di piccoli frutti rossi, ferro, cuoio, grafite, china, fieno, terra bagnata e poi con l’aria comincia a sprigionare un celestiale aroma floreale che va dalla violetta, alla camomilla, alla rosa. Bocca in equilibrio probabilmente infinito, tannino morbido, fresco di frutta e gustoso come un tortellino in brodo. Che vino! Grazie Matteo.
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10/9/2014 - galenico Likes this wine: 95 Points
Grande bottiglia in splendido stato di grazia! Pensavo di aver scritto le note di questa primavera, ma vado a memoria!!
Sangue e terra, frutto scuro e tanto corpo sorretto da un' acidità ancora vibrante.
Tannini morbidissimi e polverosi, si sposa a meraviglia con una grande tagliata sugosa come questo vino emozionante.
Il miglior Pepe bevuto finora
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6/7/2014 - M.Batard wrote: 85 Points
This must be one of the 'bottle variation' ones. We had this and a bottle of the 2000 vintage. The latter was singing; this one wasn't. Not off, but maybe past its prime.
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5/23/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is stunning juice and still quite young and fresh with a real lift of acidity. Light on its feet as a result with an ethereal texture with delicious flavors of black cherries, licorice, smoky earth and forest floor. The finish is structured and complex not unlike a Bordeaux. It was an incredible pairing with the Coniglio at Maialino, NYC where they offer this by the glass! This is a special wine. 95+
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5/7/2014 - kenv Likes this wine: 97 Points
Emidio Pepe 50th Anniversary Dinner, with Chiara and Emidio Pepe (L’Artusi Restaurant, NYC): Still a touch of ruby in the color, but leaning to onion skin at the edge. Stunning nose of earth and black cherries with a hint of coffee beans. I could sniff this all night long. Palate of earth and cherries, great length. A long riveting wine still full of life. Should continue to evolve well for 20 years or more.
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4/26/2014 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
From magnum. Spectacular. Drinking at its peak.
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3/25/2014 - presterjohn Likes this wine:
Vigorous and youthful, very full dark fruit, good acidity, some development but still quite primary. Very good. Incredible condition for 30 years old - bought recently from the cantina, which re-bottles older vintages before sale.
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1/2/2014 - vindictive wrote:
Bottle and fill excellent, the cork looked new making me think this was a reconditioned bottle. The wine was younger then previous bottles, very tight and tart, it improved with air, but never developed the body and drive of other bottles. Perhaps with more air it would have shown better or maybe this bottle was not representative. Overall, a disappointment.
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8/16/2013 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
Back on track. Much better than last bottle. Decanted for 4+ hours. Earthy and pure on the palate with a lengthy finish. Wine kept evolving in the glass.
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6/30/2012 - noppakit s. wrote: 94 Points
This is very good wine, clean, austere, barnyard, fruit, etc.
Dramatic wine, nice fruit but a bit bitter on its finished at the moment.
Long feeling aftertaste.
Everything is like 2008 that I drank a week before. It's a wine for drinking slowly with good friend or wine-lover, not good for food.
IMO, 1985 is one of the best and I hope the bitter will be gone after few years. Then, splendid !!!
Drink 2015 - 2028..................94-95/100.......................
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6/1/2012 - kenv Likes this wine: 93 Points
Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Vertical (Joe & Magda's, NYC): Red fruit and raw beef nose. Rich tart red fruit. Needs another decade. 92-95 points eventually.
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2/12/2012 - Pebben wrote: 93 Points
From memory: Surprisingly young looking – dark ruby with no signs of bricking. Slightly frizzante upon serving, but once that blew off the wine was absolutely brilliant. Black cherries, earth, autumn leaves, varnish and eucalyptus on the nose and palate. Intriguing mature complexity, good concentration and superb length. Served after an 89 Chasse Spleen – very different, but equally good.
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10/20/2011 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
I am a big fan of Emidio Pepe wines. Previous bottles of the 1985 have been glorious. This bottle was a bit tight upon opening and displayed a bit of oxidation. After an hour in the decanter the wine began to blossom with a terrific earthiness on the palate.
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9/12/2011 - BradKNYC wrote:
Good wines and fun times as Nicos returns to New York. (La Fonda Del Sol): This wine is very much like Longfellow's little girl who when she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid. Tremendous bottle variation with this wine and I've had some truly horrible bottles, but this was a beautiful showing. There was a bit of concern at the onset when Volatile Acidity dominated, but one has to be patient with this wine and let it breath a bit. Thankfully, the VA blew off to reveal a fresh and fairly fruit-forward wine. Blue and black fruits dominate with licorice and purple flowers. Integrated, yet fresh with nice acidity. Drinking beautifully right now. Solid A-.
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9/6/2011 - Fooze wrote: 97 Points
- Aromas of mushroom and eucalyptus - Almost perfect. Every pepe bottle tells a story, and this one was of a man sitting on a porch next to his farm and taking in the elements and the beauty of nature. No other way to describe it.
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9/5/2011 - pepeelvis wrote:
still youthful. wonderful wine
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1/1/2011 - vindictive wrote:
Bottle, fill and cork all excellent. We thought this wine might be tainted as we tried a shoulder pour 8 hours prior to dinner. It slow-oxed for 5 hours and then was decanted for 3. Much better with air, shaking off the off-putting aromas and showing the marvelous complexity that bottle age can confer. Probably not appreciated as much as it could have been due to a flight with a large number of superb wines and some tasting fatigue.
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7/26/2010 - Jossik wrote: flawed
Non so cos'ha ma si percepiscono solo pesanti note di smalto e plasticone
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3/5/2010 - cortoncharlie wrote:
A really nice nose but a bit thin in the mouth
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1/14/2010 - KellyW wrote: 96 Points
Always a bit of a roll of the dice but it is the price you pay for the potentially ethereal experience. The natural wine gods were looking down on us this evening. Decanted about an hour this started the ever changing dance, I like to call the Full Monte, this wine usually offers when on. Complex ripe preserved fruits, leather and earth. I had to beg my wife to give up here saved glass at the end of the evening. Never faultered.
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10/23/2009 - roblen wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding- elelegant, at its peak or just over, incredible finish, soft, but complex, totally unexpected; thought it would be over the hill. We drank with a Colgin, whose strength could not overshadow the beauty of this wine. Big Surprise1
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8/2/2009 - Jochems wrote: flawed
This bottle was severely cooked :-((
Will make some great Aceto Basalmico though!
Was worth the try at eur 10,- ........
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7/18/2009 - KellyW wrote: 96 Points
Once again the wine of the evening. Drop dead gorgeous evolved fruit nose. Very fleshy on the palate. There was a third dimension texturally as it coated the mouth. When these bottles are on they sing.
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3/24/2008 - Winevestor wrote: 96 Points
Where do you start with this wine? First the story is pretty amazing. The best overview is: http://www.polanerselections.com/files/producer1753/Pepe+Survey+by+Antonio+Galloni.pdf.
The wine was one of the most integrated wines I have ever tasted. Obvious tannins which will allow the wine to last many years yet. But deep fruit which were totally caught up with a cathedral-like structure. Amazing. A plum taste, with good acidity and a finish that went on and on. This is a food wine, which I had with hanger-steak - a great combination. If you are a collector - this is a must wine for your cellar - it is unlike any other Montepuliciano, but also unlike anything else in the wine world.
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1/1/2008 - SteveHyde wrote:
volatile acidity made this a less than stellar showing for Pepe's 85, a wine I've enjoyed much more in previous tastings.
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9/8/2007 - JeffGMorris wrote: 89 Points
Dinner at Acme with Bill, Brian, Lauren & others. Having never had an older Montepulciano, or a good one for that matter, I was looking forward to trying this. Clearly much better than any other Montepulciano I've had, this had a very seductive nose, both sweet and spicy at the same time. The medium bodied palate was much less my style where I found quite a bit of funkiness. If only the nose could have continued on the palate. A medium length finish. While not a wine I would run out to buy it was really very enjoyable to drink. Thanks to Brian for bringing this interesting wine. 50+13+11+7.5+7.5 = 89
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7/25/2007 - Keith Levenberg wrote: flawed
Maderized.
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6/2/2007 - KellyW wrote: 96 Points
Wilfred's note: This is a wine in which the terrior speaks versus the winemaker. This was right up there with the 85 LLC....a very special wine that was singing last night. A wine of special characteristics--a mix of nervositiy, acidity, fruit, length and balance. To have this wine and the 85 LLC both in one night was extra extra special.
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4/11/2007 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
(Lampreia, Seattle) Dusty old Rioja in character and colour and nose. Really intense acid-based structure and drawn cherry fruits. Brambles and smoke on the edges. A bit of volatile character and caramel notes. Lots of sharp edges here and a certain clunkiness, but well-delineated and great with food.
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4/11/2007 - Eric wrote: 89 Points
Dinner at Lampreia (Seattle, WA): Perfect cork. The only other Pepe I have have had was the 1978, and this was a very different wine. That was meaty, earthy and Rhonish. By comparison, this is somewhat shrill with a very high-pitched nose and nearly screechy acidity. This did fill out considerably with a hint of tar and lots of tangy, vibrant notes of Balsamic, sour cherry and strawberry. A somewhat chunky, rustic wine that makes you think. Rather food friendly. But not showing the complexity, heft and roundness of the 1978.
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3/25/2007 - blue wrote:
New York Dinner with spanish winemakers: Good wine but not outstanding, don't remember more. Sorry.
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3/15/2007 - KellyW wrote: 95 Points
Drank with Steve H. in DC along with the '95 Valentini. Fantastic. Kept evolving in glass over 2 hours.
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2/17/2007 - trankin wrote: 92 Points
JF's Birthday (JF's place, Tucson): Nose of mint - debated between spearmint and wintergreen - and fig. On the palate, this has notes of prunes (in a good way) and plums, with lots of spices - pepper, cumin... Really nice wine. Not everyone's cup of tea. For me 92-93.
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3/21/2006 - BradKNYC wrote:
In which we drink French, Italian & German with Dan Fredman. (Il Corso): A thermonuclear explosion of volatile acidity explodes from the glass and devastates nostrils and manicures alike. There’s a touch of mushroom and tart cherry on the palate, but the VA is tongue-stripping. Dan says to give it time, but we all agreed it only got worse. I’ve heard there’s bottle variation with this wine, with some showing really well. Good thing this wasn’t Russian roulette. D.
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12/9/2005 - Les Alpilles wrote: 93 Points
Drank at I Truili in New York. First bottle corked, second bottle started with nose of caramel and tarnish, transluscent red, high toned vibrant fruit. Over the course of the meal, wine darkened considerably, becoming much earthier and herbal on the nose and palate. The rare wine that combines hedonism and intellect Great now, not going anywhere for awhile but probably not developing much more either. A delight.
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