Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo "Branella" 2021
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The Land
Branella is a two-hectare parcel roughly 300 meters from the Pepe cellar in Torano Nuovo, in the province of Teramo at Abruzzo's northern edge. It is nearly flat, with a slight southeast exposure that gives it more shade through the afternoon than the estate's home vineyard, and the soil is what sets it apart: deep sand over blue clay marls, shot through with lenses of limestone. The pH runs closer to neutral than elsewhere on the property and drainage is better, so roots travel deep. Sand does something specific to Montepulciano, a grape that can turn thick and brooding. Here it produces a quicker, higher-toned wine with finer tannin. The site was mapped in detail by geologist Brenna Quigley before the estate began bottling it separately.
The Wine
100% Montepulciano from vines planted in 1966, a parcel Emidio Pepe bought in 1981. Hand-harvested and hand-destemmed, fermented with native yeast, aged in glass-lined cement, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. No oak, ever. 2021 was a difficult year to farm and a rewarding one to drink: a cold spring pushed budbreak late, and only about 70 millimeters of rain fell between budbreak and harvest, the driest season Abruzzo had seen in twenty years. Montepulciano is a late ripener and used the dry end of summer well, finishing in the first ten days of October. Yields were small. The wine is sour cherry, blood orange peel, dried oregano, iron, and crushed stone, with tannin that is fine-grained and chalky rather than dense, and acidity that keeps the whole thing moving.
The People
Emidio Pepe took over the family vineyards in 1964 and has never used a barrel. His daughters Daniela and Sofia have run the estate since 1997; granddaughter Chiara de Iulis Pepe is the fifth generation and the reason this bottle exists. After a multi-year soil study of the estate's holdings, Chiara replaced the single old-vine Vecchie Vigne bottling with two single-vineyard wines starting with the 2020 vintage: Casa Pepe from the parcel in front of the winery, and Branella from this one. Farming is biodynamic, fermentation is spontaneous, and the cellar keeps a deep library of older vintages rather than selling everything on release.
Food Pairing
Lighter on its feet than most Montepulciano, so it does not need a roast. Grilled lamb chops with lemon and oregano, chitarra pasta with a simple tomato and guanciale sauce, roasted eggplant with garlic and chili, or a mushroom and fontina pizza. The acidity handles tomato and char, and the fine tannin keeps up with grilled meat without flattening it. A red for the grill season as much as for the cellar.
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Central Italy, excluding Tuscany, encompasses the varied regions of Lazio, Umbria, Marche, Abruzzo, and Emilia-Romagna, each contributing distinct expressions to the country’s wine landscape. The Apennine Mountains run through much of the area, creating dramatic elevation shifts that moderate the warm Mediterranean climate and preserve freshness in the wines. Verdicchio from Marche and Trebbiano from Abruzzo are among the standout white wines, while red wines from Montepulciano, Sangiovese, and Sagrantino show depth and regional character. Volcanic soils near Rome, limestone in Marche, and clay-rich hills in Umbria all contribute to a diverse range of terroirs. These regions blend ancient viticultural heritage with a growing wave of quality-focused producers.
