Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Casa Pepe Emidio Pepe 2021

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Casa Pepe 2021, biodynamic, Iconic winery, second vintage of this new single vineyard Cuvee from the incredible Pepe farm.  The vines of the  ‘Casa Pepe’ were grafted onto the root stocks between 1970 and 1974 in soils with a a high % of blue clay and a strong silt base, just below the family home on the domaine. This type of terroir has greater water retention and a longer ripening season.  This is the last parcel of vines to be harvested at the estate and by definition this special parcel of old vines and particular terroir creates the ripest and most lush wine.  It is these conditions which give this Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, what Emidio himself calls the ‘velluto’ – the magical velvet sensation you feel in your mouth when you take a sip…pure class in a glass.

The great wines of Emidio Pepe have become iconic on the international market; older vintages sell for high prices and are highly sort after.

You might say 'rightly so' when you consider the labour of love that has gone into every bottle. The organic grapes are handpicked, sorted and every one pressed by foot, a practice that is very rare nowadays but still produces the softest pressing. The must is then fermented with natural yeast in large cement tanks and aged in cement for 2 years, settling naturally without the addition of sulphur. Emidio Pepe wines are then bottled and sent for ageing in the cellar. They store an incredible 40 vintages in their stunning cellar just outside Torano Nuovo in northern Abruzzo not far from the Marche border. When a bottle is sold, it is lovingly decanted into a fresh bottle by hand (hence there is no need for fining nor filtration), Emidio Pepe wines are all corked by hand and then labelled by hand! Only very rarely is any sulphur used in the production of Pepe wines and yet such is the perfection of natural balance that they age for decades.