With YZ, Sloke, Malone et al at Sloke’s.

There was a time when I was trying to find other great winemakers of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. More specifically, I was trying to find someone who could mirror the magic of Emidio Pepe.

This was an attempt, but it ain’t it. Not even close.

In the glass: deep inky purple that almost glowed at the rim. Huge meniscus

On the nose: fresh off the bottle, it was pure intense blackcurrant cordial, with plums. Sweet. It took a bit of time to calm down. There’s a cooked note to it. This is a wine that needs a lot of air. Thankfully with about 2-3 hours of air, the sickly sweet primary fruits calmed down, and other notes of spices emerged. The plums also intensified.

On the palate: fresh off the bottle, the wine came across a little thin. Interestingly with air, the body similarly gained more structure. Notable but very resolved tannins. Very juicy mouth feel. Mid to mid- acidity. Very plum dominant on palate and exhale. Surprisingly well integrated alcohol despite the 14.5%.

Perhaps it was unfair to compare it to Emidio Pepe. But I don’t think I really enjoy that amount of sweet plums.