The 2021 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Vecchie Vigne Branella is spicy and floral, with a smoky burst of grilled herbs and autumnal spice complementing dried black cherries. This is elegant and seamlessly silky, with depths of dark red and blue fruits that slowly saturate. All is underscored by saline minerals as a coating of grippy tannins emerges toward the close. It finishes with staining length and concentration, leaving bitter blackberries and violet inner florals to resonate on. The 2021 will be released in 2025. It’s shaping up to be an epic and powerful rendition of Pepe’s Vigne Branella.

95 Pts Vinous