It is safe to say, despite some seemingly authoritative claims to the contrary, that this rare autochthonous Rioja variety is NOT the same grape as the Trousseau of the Jura or the Bastardo of the Douro, with which pale, some would say effete, varieties this strapping, brooding beast of a wine has nothing in common. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only mono-varietal version of this grape on the market. It miraculously combines improbably dark colour and biting peppery nose with a fruit expression that is unmistakably Riojan, suggesting that the terroir of this fabled land really does in the end conquer all. All that said, in 2021, Pepe revealed unsuspected possibilities of sleek elegance in this somewhat recalcitrant character.