Tiberio
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo – 2021
Region: Italy - Abruzzo
Tiberio
The story of Azienda 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, twenty three miles inland from the seaside city of Pescara near the hillside town of Cugnoli, Riccardo Tiberio found an old plot of Trebbiano Abruzzese vines roughly 50 years old so impressive that he decided to change his and his family’s destiny.
The Wine
Vineyard Profile
Vineyard in Cugnoli (PE).
- Altitude: 350 meters
- Exposure: South
- Total area under vine: 6 ha / 14.8 acres
- Soils: Limestone
- Vine Training System: Guyot
- Planting Density: 4000 vines/ha
- Average Vine Age: 22 years
- Yield: 45 hl/ha
Harvest Notes
- Hand harvested late week September
- Free run juice only, no pressing
- Fermented in stainless steel tanks
- No malolactic fermentation
- Aged in bottle
Winemaker's Notes
Fresh aromas and flavors of red cherry and small red berries. Lovely acid-fruit balance with a bright, crisp, clean, floral finish.
Pair with pizza, pasta, fish dishes with sauce, cheeses, meat.
Wine Summary
100% massal selection Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grapes; alcohol: 14%; limestone soils; altitude: 350 meters; South exposure; average vine age: 22 years; hand harvested last week of September; cold maceration with skins; free run juice only; fermentation in stainless steel; no malolactic fermentation.
Technical Information
- 100% massal selection Montepulciano
- Alcohol: 14%
Reviews
92+ Points
The 2021 Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is a deep red color, so much so that you’d be hard-pressed to call it a Rosé. Crushed raspberries mix with hints of licorice, rose petals and a spritz of sea breeze to form its alluring bouquet. This is round and pliant with a gentle inner sweetness offset by citrus-tinged acidity, as sour melon and hard red candies resonate throughout. A hint of licorice lingers under an air of lavender, as the 2021 tapers off lightly structured yet full of lively energy. Cristiana Tiberio keeps telling me that she enjoys her Cerasuolo when it’s young and fresh, yet I can’t help but want to know what this beauty will look like in another year or two. That said, it’s stunning already today. 2022 – 2024
Vinous, May, 2022
92 Points
Bright pale red: this is the authentic colour of Cearsuolo d’Abruzzo. In Abruzzo, Valentini, Emidio Pepe and Cataldi Madonna all make similarly deeply hued Cerasuolo wines (if you want to make a pale pink wine in Abruzzo, call it a Rosato). On the nose, this boasts lively red fruit aromas (strawberry, red cherry, raspberry) complemented by a deeper note of musky herbs and a whisper of mineral dust. Juicy and focused on the palate, offering delicate red cherry, fresh citrus, forest floor and anise flavours that are at once suave and complex. Finishes fresh and brisk, and with outstanding persistence. Massal selection, old vine Montepulciano at its best here; for my money only Cataldi Madonna, Emidio Pepe and Valentini make pink wines of a similar quality level as Tiberio: to put that comment in perspective, consider that in any reputable, knowledgeable top-20 pink wine producing estates of Italy, all four of these producers would be included. 2022-2025
Terroir Sense - Ian D'Agata, August, 2022
90 Points
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is a style of rosé that deserves to be better appreciated outside of Italy, however it faces an uphill battle against the swathes of Provence pink. Made from Montepulciano vines averaging over 50 years of age, grown on limestone soils in the Abruzzo region, this is exclusively free-run juice vinified in stainless steel. Red and black cherry aromas and some mineral notes are followed in the mouth by a good concentration of fresh black cherry and herb. Saline and gently tannic with good acidity, this is closer to a red wine than a white wine and an excellent food rosé. 2022 – 2026
Decanter, August, 2022
17.5 Points
Intense strawberry pink. Cool, minerally raspberry and rhubarb nose. Great freshness and energy on the palate, with fine, velvety tannins that last and last. Super-animating, refreshing and complex at the same time. 2023 – 2028
JancisRobinson.com, June, 2023
General Info
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Abruzzo |
| Appellation(s) | Abruzzo |
| Proprietors | Riccardo, Cristiana, Antonio Tiberio (father, daughter, son) |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Winemaker | Cristiana Tiberio |
| Annual Production | 8,300 9L cases |
| Farming (Sustainable, organic, biodynamic) | Sustainable |
