2013 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Community Tasting Notes (18) Avg Score: 92.4 points

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  3/13/2023 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points

  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.

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  1/8/2023 - kuumies wrote:

  On the nose ripe dark cherry fruit, capsicum, barnyard, black pepper and leather. Great depth and complexity. On the palate rich and voluminous without much weight at all. Silky smooth yet with gripping tannins. Iron fist in velvet glove, a properly Burgundian Montepulciano. There is something wild and rugged about it but still it comes off as refined. It is so easy to imagine this one going strong for another decade or three.

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  12/3/2022 - soyhead wrote:

  Dark fruited, juicy, really good, rich darker than expected though not sure I’m seeing the cult status here. No. 24396

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  11/16/2022 - decaturwinedude wrote: 92 Points

  A Good Tuesday, Vol. VII: Italians: B Mascarello, E Pepe, Occhipinti, Burlotto, Barisone, Molettieri...: Opened an hour prior. Starting to enter a drinking zone. It's equally wild and natural, yet, polished with elegance and finesse. There's the slightest tingle of that wiry Pepe carbonic note that dissipates in time and makes these wines so age-worthy. If you like these wines, the 13 is pretty damn strong and should be good for years.

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  8/14/2022 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 94 Points

  See prior note. Really good and held strong for three nights.

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