If you know the name Bob Pepi, you’re probably really thinking of his father, the late Robert Pepi, who founded the Pepi winery in Napa Valley and later sold it to Jess Jackson.
Bob Pepi, the son, was the Pepi family winemaker and was on the scene when Pepi built its reputation on exceptional sauvignon blanc and a bevy of Cal-Ital varietal wines that have been more or less abandoned since Pepi, the winery, entered the Jackson fold and became a ubiquitous bargain brand.
Bob Pepi made his own way as a consultant, overseeing winemaking for Argentina’s Valentin Bianchi, among others, and founded a brand of his own, Eponymous. There are two wines in the Eponymous portfolio, a Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, and a red Bordeaux-style blend from the MacAllister vineyard on the Sonoma Valley side of Mount Veeder.
The first Eponymous was the 2000 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The MacAllister Vineyard Red Wine made its debut with the 2003 vintage. They retail for $65 and $45, respectively; extremely good values in the world of high-end, hand-crafted boutique Napa and Sonoma red wines.
I caught up with Pepi on a recent visit to Napa and tasted through every vintage of the Napa cabernet that is currently available — seven vintages, 2000 through 2006. This after visiting the vineyard source, located near the Pepi family compound at the base of Atlas Peak, about a mile south of the famed Stag’s Leap District, in the southern end of the Napa Valley.
The vineyard next door produces Silver Oak’s cultish Twomey Merlot. Clos du Val and Chimney Rock are just a short piece up the road. This is a very good neighborhood for cabernet and merlot, with poor, rocky soils. The Eponymous Napa cabernet is as much a reflection of its terroir as Pepi’s deft touch. The structure and minerality combined with sun-kissed California fruit are a rare combo in Napa cab.
The great winemaker Tony Soter was Pepi’s mentor, and there is a similarity in their winemaking style. When it comes to cabernet, that would be a wine that exhibits bright fruit aromas, supple tannins and exquisite balance, all of which was evident in the seven-year vertical I tasted with Pepi in early September.
The oldest of the lot, the 2000, was in superb condition and clearly has much life left in those aging bones. It is a cabernet of substance and complexity, much like the very underrated cabernets Bob Pepi made at Pepi before his departure. The other six vintages were impeccably made. On the same day I also had the opportunity to taste the 1981 Pepi cabernet, and am happy to report the patient is still alive!
I realize most wine enthusiasts are anything but collectors, generally consuming the wines they buy within hours of purchase. They could probably care less that I believe the Eponymous cab is a good deal for those wine aficionados who go to the trouble of cellaring collectible wines. To those folks I say drink up and enjoy.
To the rest of you, I say stock up. Eponymous cabernet is in it for the long haul. I truly hope to have a small stash in my cellar when it hits its stride.
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