2018 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Emidio Pepe, Abruzzo, Italy
About this WINE
Montepulciano
The Montepulciano grape stands as a cornerstone of Italian viticulture, flourishing in Central and Eastern Italy. Despite its name, it maintains no genetic ties to the renowned Tuscan town of Montepulciano nor its celebrated Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which predominantly features Sangiovese. Renowned for its adaptability, Montepulciano thrives in a spectrum of soil types and climates. Exhibiting robust growth characteristics, it yields generously and matures late in the season, offering winemakers flexibility in cultivation and harvest.
The heartland of Montepulciano lies in the Abruzzo district, where its flagship incarnation, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, reigns supreme. Here, it delivers wines of remarkable character and distinction. In the Marche region, it harmonises with Sangiovese to craft illustrious blends such as Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno, showcasing its versatility and capacity for nuanced expression.
Montepulciano wines typically embody a light to medium-bodied profile, brimming with fruit-forward flavours. Often characterised by gentle tannins and moderate acidity, they offer immediate pleasure and accessibility, best enjoyed in their youth. Yet, a select cadre of visionary producers employs low-yielding old vines, crafting 100% Montepulciano wines that undergo meticulous oak ageing. These esteemed bottlings defy convention, evolving gracefully in the bottle over a decade or more, unfurling layers of complexity and refinement.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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