The Latest From Some Good Wine

Paolo Bea is one of those names that almost that has almost become a secret code in the wine consumers world. Not for the un-savvy shopper. Those who speak about it are normally avid collectors who appreciate great values. And while Paolo Bea is not cheap, for what it can do in the cellar over time, there is literally nothing like it. Speaking personally, I have only tried one older one before from 2001 that was still so young; the tannins hit the brakes on my palate as if I came to a red light with a group of school children crossing the street. It had barely aged a day.  The strange thing is that many people still don't know what these wines are capable of, since the amount of pre-2000 that exists in the U.S. is very slim and not many have claimed a taste.

For today, we have a duo of fine wines that don't have much in common except that their both Italian and their names kind of sound alike. We shall call this: A Tale of Two Pepes

Below is a line up of some older yet newer released wines from AR. Pe. Pe in Valtellina and Emidio Pepe in Montepulciano.  Here's the deal:

There are so many things to love about this today's featured producer, Jean Marc Pillot, but two things in particular really stand out. 1. While everyone else is trying to get their latest release out the door, Pillot holds back a year. How bad ass is that? While everyone else is concentrating on 2016 reds and 2017 whites at this time, he is a year off. Respect.