PRIMA Notes:  There is, of course, no shortage of great wine in Italy these days, but the list of true icons- your Rinaldis, Gajas, Ornellaias and the like- is still a short, rarified one.  Somewhere very near the top of that list must be Emidio Pepe of Abruzzo.  Since Emidio took over the reins of the old family estate in 1964, his rare and exciting wines have earned the reputation as some of the very best, most age-worthy in all of southern Italy, if not the entire country. The hackneyed phrase ‘cult wine’ actually seems appropriate when speaking of the transcendent Montepulcianos, Trebbianos and Pecorinos of Pepe. The term ‘ageless’ also seems to apply as we’ve yet to try one that has actually been too old and we’ve had them all the way back to the late sixties!  And that goes for the whites as well as the reds!  We’ve just received our very small summer allocation of Pepe gems and we’d like to share the wealth with you. These, believe it or not, are current releases!