Emidio Pepe

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Country of Origin: Italy
Location: Torano Nuovo, Teramo
People: Pepe Family, Owners & Winemakers
Viticulture: Certified Biodynamic

Items

Emidio Pepe 2021 Pecorino, Colli Aprutini IGT Login — On Order
Emidio Pepe 2019 Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC Login — On Order
Emidio Pepe 2002 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC Login AG 92 <1 Case
Emidio Pepe 2003 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC Login WA 94 WE 87 AG 92 On Order
Emidio Pepe 2015 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC Login — On Order
Emidio Pepe 2007 Montepulicano d'Abruzzo DOC Login AG 96 WS 93 On Order

History: Emidio Pepe has been passed down from father to son for four generations. In 1899, the founder of the family, Emidio Pepe was already well known for his excellent wine, which was born with fresh grapes that can be found on the Toran hillsides; and on 1944, his son Giuseppe was alreading selling wine. In 1964 Emidio Pepe, grandson of the founder of the firm, looking ahead, understood the great qualities of the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and begun selling it in bottles as if it was "Black Gold."

Today his daughters Daniela and Sofia Pepe continue with a great passion in producing famous wines, respecting all the methods their fathers used 40 years before. In the last few years Daniela and Sofia, with the typical tenacity of the Pepe Family and the fearlessness of their youth and spirit, have enlarged the properties and elevated the production for the wine cellar, always under the vigilant protection of their father Emidio Pepe.

Location: The family owns 15 hectares of vineyards, cultivated by Emidio with biodynamic methods, in Torano Nuovo in the province of Teramo. The winery is sandwiched between the Adriatic Sea and Apennine mountain range which makes for ideal and very interesting climatic conditions for growing Montepulciano and Trebbiano grapes. The evening cooling effect offered by the mountain and sea air during the hot summers helps extend the ripening period adding to complexity and quality of the wines. The soils in that area are full of minerals and some lime which produces wines that have lively acidity and mineral notes. Acidity is crucial for the longevity of a wine and many of Pepe’s wines can age for years despite the fact that the wines are made organically and have been for decades.

Production: The wines are made in a super traditional style. It is rare to find such a raw expression in today's age of industrialization. Harvest, crushing and destemming is done by hand. No additives or sulfites are used, and wines undergo indigenous yeast fermentation. The family ages their wine in an air-conditioned underground wine cellar. They are the only wine cellar that can offer a vertical from 1964. All the bottles are hand-decanted before entering the market, carefully controlled and selected in a small laboratory where Rosa Pepe pours the wine from one bottle to another, to eliminate the natural sediments that occur at the bottom of the bottle. At the end the bottles are hand-labeled and go for sale. And this is why the Pepe Family guarantee all the bottles for quality, genuineness and long life.

Media Links
I'll Drink to That!: Episode 182: Chiara De Lulis Pepe
Issimoissimo.com: In Vino Vitae, the world of Emidio Pepe
Wine Terroirs: Emidio Pepe

Reviews

  • Emidio Pepe 2003 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC
    The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 94 (6/1/2010)
    Pepe’s 2003 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a bomb. Tar, leather, scorched earth and black fruit emerge from this dark, imposing Montepulciano. The wine comes together beautifully in the glass, as the aromas and flavors gain breadth and dimension. Despite the rich style, there is nothing excessive or over-ripe here, just exceptional balance of ripe fruit as captured by a traditional approach to vinification. A final blast of tar informs the long finish. Pepe fans will flip over the 2003, but readers who prefer subtlety over power will want to cellar this for a few years to allow for some of the baby fat to melt away.
  • Emidio Pepe 2003 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC
    Wine Enthusiast
    Rating: 87 (7/1/2013)
    Emidio Pepe is an iconic leader of the organic and natural wine movement in Italy. This meaty Montepulciano d'Abruzzo shows some aromas of rubber and Band-Aid followed by polished cherry fruit. A soft and velvety mouthfeel is followed by cured meat and bresaola.
  • Emidio Pepe 2007 Montepulicano d'Abruzzo DOC
    Vinous
    Rating: 96 (5/1/2015)
    Nearly impenetrable inky ruby color. Deep, brooding aromas of black cherry, violet, tar, shoe polish and botanical herbs. Sweet/sour flavors of black cherry, blueberry juicy, minerals and ink are complicated by a dusting of botanical herbs. This multi-layered knockout of a wine finishes very bright and long, with repeating floral lift. Very clean and precise, and devoid of any funky animal aromas or flavors, it’s one of the best red wines from Pepe in years and a testament to the potential greatness of the Montepulciano grape.
  • Emidio Pepe 2007 Montepulicano d'Abruzzo DOC
    The Wine Spectator
    Rating: 93 (2/3/2016)
    A fragrant red, with dried floral, spice, game and loamy earth notes lacing the crushed black currant and dried fig flavors, supported by a rich underpinning. Drink now through 2027.
  • Emidio Pepe 2003 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC
    Vinous
    Rating: 92 (10/20/2022)
    A smoky note of cracked ashen stone gives way to a cedar spice box full of dried berries, citrus peels, cloves, cinnamon and roses as the sweetly spiced bouquet of the 2003 Montepulciano d'Abruzo Vecchie Vigne bursts from the glass. There's an unexpected density and pliancy here, coming across as soft-natured and fully mature, with notes of ripe plum and tobacco settling upon the senses. The 2003 finishes with a pleasant grip, the result of residual acids more than tannin, while cherry pits and even sour melon notes slowly fade. While I don't see the 2003 maturing in a positive direction from here, there's so much pleasure to be found today, and there's no rush to finish the bottles in your cellar.
  • Emidio Pepe 2002 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC
    Vinous
    Rating: 92 (10/20/2022)

    The 2002 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Vecchie Vigne intrigues the senses with a cool-toned mix of dried strawberries, cinnamon and dusty rose. It washes across the palate with ease, lifted and pure in feel, with pretty red berries and a subtle tug of flinty minerality. Fruit concentration lingers, along with gentle tannins and a pleasant burst of inner sweetness, as the 2002 finishes with cheek-puckering tension. There's a lightness of being here that may not promise a long life, but is very pleasurable today. The 2002 vintage was quite cold, and the wine was so austere in its youth that the Pepe family decided not to release it at first. Because of the library program, the 2002 is now available in the market.