2014 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

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.