ITALY | ABRUZZO
TIBERIO
Tiberio is a family owned estate, specializing in wines made from authentic Abruzzo native grape varieties.
The Story
The story of Agricola Tiberio rings more like a new world tale than one from the old world of the ancient lands beneath the Majella and Gran Sasso mountains in Abruzzo. At 350 meters above sea level, twenty-three miles inland from the seaside city of Pescara, near the lovely medieval hillside town of Cugnoli, Riccardo Tiberio found a very old plot of Trebbiano Abruzzese vines, which, despite the variety’s name, is a rarity in Abruzzo. Riccardo was so impressed and excited by his discovery of these roughly 60 years old vines that he decided to change his and his family’s destiny.
He made the plunge in 2000, purchasing the eight hectare plot of Trebbiano Abruzzese vines he had fallen in love with, along with another 31 hectares of land suitable for planting and the production of single estate wines. Guided by decades of personal experience and one of Italy’s most renowned nurseries, Riccardo planted a selection of indigenous varieties matched to the different soil characteristics in the vineyard. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Trebbiano Abruzzese, and Aglianico were planted along with Pecorino and Moscato di Castiglione clones from ancient vines in the area. And so it was that when Tiberio released its first vintage in 2004, the wine cognoscenti took notice of Tiberio’s mineral whites and fruit forward reds.
In 2008, Riccardo Tiberio handed over the reins of the winery to his highly competent children, daughter Cristiana and son Antonio. The role of viticulturalist goes to Antonio while Cristiana handles the winemaking duties. She is a chemistry graduate with training stints in Champagne and Australia backed by repeated visits to the Mosel and Chablis. In 2011 she took over all the winemaking duties and is now solely responsible for the wines made at the estate. At that time, Antonio and Cristiana also decided to uproot the international varieties and to replace them with more Pecorino and Trebbiano Abruzzese. They chose to use massal selections from their oldest vines because over the years they found that their massal selections gave much deeper, more complex, and altogether better wines than those made from clonal selections.
Tiberio’s Trebbiano Abruzzese vines are especially noteworthy as they are not just amongst the oldest in Abruzzo but because they are the real thing. True Trebbiano Abruzzese is rare; much of Abruzzo’s vineyards are actually planted to Bombino Bianco, Mostosa, and Trebbiano Toscano which were until very recently routinely confused with Trebbiano Abruzzese. However, while the four share similar features they are distinct varieties. Trebbiano Abruzzese is the most noble of the four, producing wines that while delicate and light bodied have greater depth and complexity. Also noteworthy is that Tiberio’s Pecorino vines, planted in 2000, are amongst the oldest in the region.
The Trebbiano Abruzzese and Pecorino varieties are planted on mainly limestone soils. This, in combination with the cool breezes from the mountains and ocean, produces wines of minerality in which balanced acidity and structure are a hallmark. The Montepulciano is planted on mianly limestone-clay soils.
The estate and its wines have won numerous accolades in a very short time span. Gambero Rosso has bestowed at least Due Bicchieri on all of their wines each vintage, as well as a string of Tre Bicchieri for their 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 Pecorino, an extremely hot and much loved white wine in Italy. Furthermore, the UK’s prestigious Decanter magazine has named Tiberio “one of Italy’s Rising Stars” estates in 2013. Last but not least, rave reviews from Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar have further confirmed Agricola Tiberio’s stature as one of Italy’s finest wine producers.
The Tiberio siblings have one goal in mind: make wines that clearly speak of the varieties and the land they come from.
PECORINO IGT 'COLLINE PESCARESI'
SKU:
+71431
VINTAGE:
2021
GRAPE:
100% Pecorino
FORMAT:
12-pack
TASTING NOTES, RATINGS & REVIEWS:
- The 2021 Pecorino is understated in the glass yet very pretty, showing nuances of kiwi and chlorophyll, giving way to exotic florals and wet stone. Its textures are surprisingly luxurious, plush even, yet this is salty to the core with mineral-tinged green melon and hints of fresh mint. A mineral staining lingers through the finale, finishing long yet energetic and lightly structured. Wow, the 2021 is a warm and dry vintage for Pecorino that drinks with such refinement.❞ – Eric Guido, Vinous (August 2022)
- 91 POINTS – Vinous (August 2022)
TREBBIANO D'ABRUZZO DOC
SKU:
+82402
VINTAGE:
2022
GRAPE:
100% Trebbiano Abruzzese
FORMAT:
12-pack
TASTING NOTES, RATINGS & REVIEWS:
- Pale, bright yellow-green. Aromas of crisp yellow apple, white flowers, lime and hazelnut: this is very pretty and very Trebbiano Abruzzese, not Trebbiano Toscano. For all its juiciness this is tactile and blessed with sneaky concentration, boasting excellent energy to its bright lemon, herbal and toast flavors. Uncharacteristically for this wine, there’s a suggestion of opulence here joining in the more usual elements of freshness and austerity. Finishes long, classically dry and laid-back, with a light saline component and outstanding freshness. Chill this well and get ready to drink it all summer long. Drinking window: 2023-2028❞ – Ian D'Agata, Terroir Sense (May 2023)
- 93 POINTS – Terroir Sense (May 2023)
TREBBIANO D'ABRUZZO DOC 'FONTE CANALE'
VINTAGE:
2019
GRAPE:
100% Trebbiano Abruzzese
FORMAT:
6-pack
NOTE:
Limited quantity.
Contact us to order.TASTING NOTES, RATINGS & REVIEWS:
- Pale green-tinged yellow. Pure crushed rock, fresh citrus fruits and flinty minerality on the inviting nose, gaining noteworthy intensity with aeration. Fresh and juicy, complex and very refined, but manages the neat trick of being simultaneously thick and weightless. Best today on the mounting finish, which saturates the palate with iodiney minerality and repeating lemon and lime flavours; strikes me as rounder than usual (“rounder” with Fonte Canale is a very relative term) most likely because of the year’s low yields and cooler weather that increased hang time and in so doing, blessed the wine with greater complexity and a less angular personality. Even at this early age, the 2019 Fonte Canale still conveys the essential style of the vintage, a direct result of the area’s growing season character traits. Very different from the showier 2018, but each will have its fans. Drinking window: 2026-2035.❞ – Ian D'Agata, Terrior Sense (August 3, 2022)
- A dazzling bouquet of honeyed flowers, young mango, apricot, flinty stone and sweet smoke make the 2019 Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Fonte Canale impossible to ignore. It’s savory and supremely soft textured, pushing its pure orchard fruits forward and allowing its minerality to play a supporting role, which creates a sense of undeniable elegance and balance. The 2019 lingers incredibly long, leaving a salty stain and tension that tugs at the palate; pretty inner florals and hints of ginger slowly fade. The production of the 2019 Fonte Canale was down by 20% due to the cold conditions during flowering.❞ – Eric Guido, Vinous (August 2022)
- 94+ POINTS – Ian D'Agata, Terrior Sense (August 3, 2022)
- 94 POINTS – Vinous (August 2022)
CERASUOLO D'ABRUZZO DOC
SKU:
+169885
VINTAGE:
2022
GRAPE:
100% Montepulciano
FORMAT:
12-pack
TASTING NOTES, RATINGS & REVIEWS:
- Deep pink: this is a much deeper colour than usual for this wine, almost pale red in fact. Red cherry, cranberry, almond paste and flowers on the perfumed deep nose. Nicely fleshy on the palate, with red berries and chewy herb-accented forest floor flavours that are very pure and fresh. The energetic and brisk finish showcases surprising weight and glyceral personality to the repeating red cherry and berry nuances. Maybe the best ever Cerasuolo from Tiberio: the 2022 vintage benefited from noteworthy wind currents that led the grapes to develop thicker skins, meaning more extraction and a rounder, bigger mouthfeel to the wine but without losing any of its trademark elegance. Drinking window: 2023-2026.❞ – Ian D'Agata, Terrior Sense (May 2023)
- 95 POINTS – Ian D'Agata, Terrior Sense (May 2023)
MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO DOC
SKU:
+136628
VINTAGE:
2021
GRAPE:
100% Montepulciano
FORMAT:
12-pack
TASTING NOTES, RATINGS & REVIEWS:
- Bright ruby. Bitter red and black cherry, blackcurrant, tobacco and violet on the perfumed, inviting nose, along with an intriguing flinty quality. Fresh and energetic, but at the same time suave and silky in the mouth, with a concentrated dark cherry and fresh plum flavours. Impressively dense and serious for a wine in this price range, finishing with broad, fine tannins and outstanding length. Drinking window: 2024-2030.❞ – Ian D'Agata, Terroir Sense (May 2023)
- 93 POINTS – Terroir Sense (May 2023)
MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO DOC 'ARCHIVIO'
- [2017 VINTAGE] Garnering an official “wow” from the very first tilt of the glass, the 2017 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Archivio is breathtaking. Roses, violets, stone dust and sour citrus set the stage, deepening with notes of ripe blackberries, cherries and hints of brown spice. It’s profoundly textural, as a silky wave ushers in ripe red and hints of blue fruit, spice, licorice and sweet lavender. This dances across the palate, pliant and soothing at times but then angular and boisterous at others, leaving a fine coating of saturating tannin behind. I love the harmony here, already so likable yet also youthfully reserved. My best advice is to check in on at least one bottle now, but to lose the rest in your cellar for a number of years. The Archivio is produced from four separate biotypes in Cristiana Tiberio’s vineyard. These are the oldest of her vines, averaging 60 years, and all are pergola-trained, growing in clay-rich soils. Also, due to the thicker skins and need for oxygen during vinification, 30% of the wine is matured for twelve months in new barrique. This is a whole new level for Tiberio Montepulciano.❞ – Eric Guido, Vinous (April 2021)
- [2018 VINTAGE] The 2018 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Archivio is a dark and multifaceted beauty, slowly unwinding in the glass, inward and viral, hauntingly floral, dusty and rooted firmly in the earth. An enthralling mix of smoky grilled herbs, graphite and tart black cherries come together with sage, lifted by dried flowers and hints of fresh mint leaf. It’s rich yet elegant, like crushed velvet draped across the senses, pliant and potent, lifted by brilliant acidity, while staining the palate with citrus-tinged raspberries. There is so much concentration within, echoing purple-tinged florals and lavender tones as this tapers off with incredible length, lightly structured and with a tart wild berry twang. A salty flourish keeps me coming back to the glass. While this may not be as structured as the 2017, the 2018 instead impresses on its immaculate precision and balance. Archivio is produced from the oldest pergola-trained vines on the Tiberio estate, which grow in clay-rich soils. Around 30% of the wine is matured for twelve months in new barrique, yet the integration is perfect. This is a whole new level for Cristiana Tiberio.❞ – Eric Guido, Vinous (August 2022)
- 95+ POINTS – Vinous (April 2021) [2017 VINTAGE]
- 96 POINTS – Vinous (August 2022) [2018 VINTAGE]
MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO DOC 'COLLE VOTA'
- The 2018 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colle Vota lifts up dark, exotic, spicy and intense. Cracked chalk, dried violets and lavender give way to plum skins and black currants dusted in curry spices. This is silky, verging on velvety in texture and massively floral, communicating supreme elegance with green botanicals mingling with vibrant wild berry then morphing into nuances of peach, all lifted by lively acidity and with a lovely inner sweetness. A primary concentration of exotic citrus and spices sizzle around the perimeters of the palate, lingering incredibly long through the lightly structured, yet fresh, finale. There are so many layers here. Colle Vota hails from a single parcel of vines planted in sandy, stony soils within the Tiberio vineyards, one which produces smaller berries and thicker skins. I highly recommend decanting the 2018 if opening it today, as it evolves over the course of hours.❞ – Eric Guido, Vinous (August 2022)
- 96 POINTS – Ian D'Agata, Terrior Sense (December 29, 2022)
- 95 POINTS – Vinous (August 2022)