2014 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
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Tasting notes
The 2014 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Vecchie Vigne totally captivates with an exotic mix of musky red currants, allspice, dusty rose and a touch of forest floor that I find wildly attractive. It’s soft and enveloping on the palate, without a hard edge in sight, casting citrus-tinged berries across a core of brisk acids. Savory herbal tones come forward toward the close. This finishes structured and long, yet the tannins are sweet. The mouth is left watering for more as a mineral tinge and wild strawberry hints slowly taper off. The cool and rainy vintage helped produce a unique expression of Emidio Pepe Montepulciano, but one that is overdelivering at the moment.
Critic scores
Eric Guido, Vinous
About the producer
Emidio Pepe is a star of the Abruzzo region and one of Italy’s most famous names. Worshipped by natural-wine lovers for its low-intervention approach, this estate makes category-defying, age-worthy examples of Montepulciano, Trebbiano and Cerasolo d’Abruzzo, as well as Pecorino Colli Aprutini.