Emidio Pepe Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2012

The wines of Emidio Pepe are not only unique amongst Abruzzo,but within the wine world itself.  Durable, meant to age and perhaps truly like no other wine.  It will contain the light ethereal quality of a Burgundy with the flavor profile of an aged traditional Rioja like Lopez de Heredia -- whom they are often compared to. These wines are big and bold, filled with intense flavors of dried black cherries, licorice and wild herbs.  But that still doesn't do them justice.  It is Vosne Romanee Burgundy, meets 11th century Italian countryside:  wild, savage and raw.  

Background and Terroir
Though the family has been producing wines here since the end of the 19th Century, the winemaking has remained unchanged philosophically since Emidio Pepe took over the estate in 1964. Since 1997, the business and wine production has been in the hands of the fourth generation of the Pepe family with sisters Daniela, and Sofia.  The Pepe vineyards are located in the northern province of Teramo, with siliceous soil rich in lime and iron.  With a great belief that Mother Nature is the best care-giver for the vines, grapes are grown biodynamically, hand-harvested, hand-destemmed, naturally fermented and aged 18-24 months in glass-lined tanks. The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered, without added SO2, and aged in their cellar, in bottle, for continued development. Before release, the wines are decanted by hand into new bottles, and then labeled.