Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Pepe Vigne Vecchie 2018

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Pepe 2018, biodynamic wine, 50 year old vines, Iconic red wine from Abruzzo.  We can’t think of the superlatives to describe this Iconic red.  The  new vintages now show the badge indicating that these wines come from the old vines at the estate.  This is to distinguish it from the younger vine selection generally only found in Italy and also about a third of the price.  These are the bottles to age and age majestically they will.  The 2018 vintage had a spring characterized by regular changes of warm sunlight and pouring rain.  This pushed the vegetation until the summer.  Summer temperatures were particularly high and it was dry for the most part.  Fortunately there were two days of rain in mid August that gave the plants a chance to breathe again.  There was a very careful selection at the harvest.  By doing this, they ensured great quality although with a diminished quantity.  The 2018 is set to be a great vintage, although the quantity is quite low.  Buy Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Pepe 2018 now and cellar for 8-10 for it to show at its best.

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.