2019 Emidio Pepe Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 92.6 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View kuumies's profile
  • Report Issue

  7/10/2023 - kuumies wrote:

  A very attractive and impressively complex nose of red cherry, blood, bouillon and reduction. On the palate there is a lot here, as it is full bodied and vinous with a very rich mouthfeel. A bit overwhelming even, to be honest. This is red wine in all but name and probably challenging for some to accept as a rosé. At this stage way primary and a baby, I would bury them in the cellar had I any bottles of my own.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View forceberry's profile
  • Report Issue

  7/8/2023 - forceberry wrote: 94 Points

  100% biodynamically farmed Montepulciano from the 2019 vintage where hailstorms reduced the yield of Montepulciano by 40%. Fully destemmed. The wine is made the same way as the whites of Pepe: the grapes as crushed by feet in wooden tubs over 45 minutes, 350 kg at a time, resulting in limited skin contact but quite a lot of extraction. Fermented spontaneously, vinified and aged in concrete tanks. Bottle no. 2941. 13% alcohol.
  
  Strikingly deep and dark yet fully translucent black ruby-red color - this looks more like a red wine rather than a rosé! The nose feels wild, funky and slightly lifted with complex aromas of cherry marmalade, some fragrant floral tones, a little bit of blueberries and blackcurrants, light bretty notes of leather and smoky phenolics, a hint of black Bassett's wine gums and a touch of gamey meat. The wine feels rich, powerful and quite muscular on the palate with a rather full body and intense flavors of dark forest fruits and bing cherries, some lifted notes of sweet VA along with a faint streak of acetic character, light crunchy notes of astringent chokeberries, a little bit of leathery funk, a sweet hint of boysenberry jam and a touch of herby spice. Although the wine is strikingly big and concentrated for a rosé wine, it is not without structure: the high acidity and even a tiniest bit of tannic grip lend great sense of firmness and freshness to the wine. The finish is rich, somewhat sweet-toned and quite powerful with a long and intense aftertaste of juicy black cherries and strawberries, some balsamic notes of VA, a little bit of leathery funk, light boysenberry notes, a hint of tangy acetic character and a touch of gravelly minerality.
  
  A big, hefty and rather funky but also so very impressive and complex wine that is a rosé (or Cerasuolo) in name only. It's incredible how Pepe manage to get so much power and stuffing with so short maceration time, but I guess that prolonged crush by foot helps in making the wine so stern and extracted. To be honest, had this wine been served blind, I would've guessed it was a red wine. The 2017 vintage didn't leave a particularly memorable impression, but this wine is a completely different beast. Knowing how wonderfully the wines of Emidio Pepe can age, I wouldn't be surprised if this wine continued to evolve and improve for decades, but I must say, this is quite a stunner already now. Perhaps it can be a bit too much, if you're expecting a light and refreshing rosé, and slightly too funky and acetic, if you prefer wines that are squeaky clean. However, if you're willing to accept the somewhat outside-the-box nature of this wine, this is really something. Excellent value at 35€.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View PVJC's profile
  • Report Issue

  7/31/2022 - PVJC Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Terrific -- a rare rose that gets your attention and is a good pairing with a meal and not just an afternoon quaffer. Crunchy is an oddly good word from other reviews. Delicious, wish I had more than 1 left. Wasn't sure if I should give it more time before opening ... sounds like can last a while, but I didn't regret opening this one now.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View PatrickO33's profile
  • Report Issue

  6/21/2021 - PatrickO33 wrote: 86 Points

  Great Rosé with a wonderful balance of sweet red cherries, herbal bitterness and lively acidity!

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Bakerbd's profile
  • Report Issue

  11/28/2020 - Bakerbd Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Cherry, cranberry, bit of funk

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

View all 6 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.