Emidio Pepe 2002 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC

Emidio Pepe 2002 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC

Item Number: 6135

UPC: None

Country: Italy
Region: Abruzzo
Sub Region: Teramo
Appellation/AVA: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2002
Grape(s): 100% Montepulciano
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 13.5
Viticulture: Certified Biodynamic
Soil Type: Clay and limestone

Harvest is done by hand with strict grape selection; they pick in different phases to select bunches of grapes according to their ripening. Destemming is done by hand in wooden tubs with a special net placed on top. No additives or sulfites are added. Wine undergoes natural, indigenous yeast fermentation. The Montepulciano ferments for about 10-12 days and subsequently ages for 24 months in glass-lined cement, which Pepe prefers over oak. After spending at least two years in glass-lined tanks, it is bottled unfined and unfiltered for further aging in cellar. As the wine ages, it undergoes malolactic fermentation naturally. Before being released the bottles are opened and decanted one by one by Rosa Pepe, the family matriarch, into new bottles after which they are re-corked, labeled by hand and shipped. There is no fining, filtration or SO2 added during the second bottling.

Reviews

  • 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.