Tiberio
Quarmarì Pecorino Colline Pescaresi IGP – 2023
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 1150 feet/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.
Over a decade ago, Cristiana and Antonio, daughter and son of Riccardo, took over reins of Tiberio. Cristiana, a chemistry specialist who also teaches college sommelier and enology classes, handles winemaking and is the global brand ambassador. Antonio leads grapegrowing and viticulture. The dynamic team have established Tiberio, and Abruzzo, in the forefront of leading-edge wine making and renown in this central part of Italy. Today, Tiberio farms 74 acres/30 hectares of vines.
The Wine
Vineyard Profile
Pecorino is an ancient variety that has always called the mountainous Appennine ridges of the Marche and Abruzzo its home. A low yielding variety due to sterility of the basal buds, over the centuries farmers shied away from it preferring instead to plant easier to grow, more productive varieties. Therefore Pecorino was all but forgotten, and nearly extinct by the 1970s. Times change and today high yields are less important than they once were: modern day wine lovers now clamor for high quality grape varieties. This wine is made of just one biotype, Centrale, from a 2.47 acre plot of the 9.39 acre Pecorino planting.
- Vineyard Area: 2.47 acres/1 ha
- Altitude: 1250 feet/380 meters
- Soil: Limestone with marly-clay
- Vine Age: about 23 years
- Vine Training System: Guyot
- Yield: 30 hl
Harvest Notes
- Hand harvested the end of August
- Free run juice only
- Fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks using only indigenous yeasts
- No malolactic fermentation
- Aged in tank and bottle for 10 months
- Bottled unfined and unfiltered
Winemaker's Notes
Named for their beloved Abruzzese sheepdog Quarmari, the 2023 is the inaugural vintage of this singular expression of Pecorino. Deep straw yellow with gold highlights. Captivating aromas of ripe apricot, pear, lemon oil, lime curd and sweet spices. Creamy and rich on the entry, with lifted notes in the mid-palate. A long finish with harmonious acidity that extends the orchard and citrus fruit flavors.
Wine Summary
Inaugural release; 100% massal selection Pecorino, biotype Centrale; alcohol: 14%; hilly 2.47 acre estate plot at 1250 feet near Cugnoli, Abruzzo IGP; planted in limestone and marly-clay soil; vines average 23 years; hand harvested end August; fermented in stainless steel tanks using only indigenous yeasts; no malolactic fermentation; aged 10 months in tank and bottle; bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Technical Information
- 100% massal selection Pecorino, biotype Centrale
- Alcohol: 14%
Reviews
98 Points
#4 of 100 Best Italian Wines 2025
Bright medium golden yellow. Delicately nuanced aromas of candied lemon, sage, peach, stem ginger, acacia, and flint are complicated by a whisper of banana and an intensely pure mineral undertone. There’s sneaky but building intensity and concentration to its fresh and energetic yellow fruit, ginger and mineral flavours. Laser-like but harmonious acidity provides excellent cut to the powerful, tactile mouthfeel that lingers impressively on the vibrant, saline back end. A little cellaring will help this smoothen out further and gain in volume, while focusing further its remarkable minerality and purity. Not unlike a medium-bodied Burgundy Chardonnay from a cool site, the Pecorino Quarmarì differs considerably from the regular Tiberio Pecorino wine (though they are made in the same way: destemmed bunches, naturally sedimented, fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeast and matured one year in stainless steel tanks before being bottled) in that it is less marked by the botanical herbs of the regular wine and is far more mineral. Only 1500 bottles made and it’s basically already all sold out; unfortunately, there will never be more than 2000 bottles of this wine made a year, because it is made with the Pecorino grapes that grow in the central part of Tiberio’s 25 years old vineyard that are of a different biotype than that growing in the eastern and western flanks of the same vineyard. Therefore, there’s only so many of those grapes with which to make the wine. If you like a good Chablis Blanchots, you’ll love this. 2026 – 2032
Ian D'Agata Wine Review, March, 2025
96 Points
The 2023 Pecorino Quarmari sneaks up on you with a bouquet that starts quite understated and coy but becomes explosive with time. A burst of crushed rocks and sage gives way to nuances of green apple and sweet spice. It possesses a deep, glycerol-like texture, nearly oily in feel, with tart orchard fruits and masses of stimulating citrus further enhanced by a core of brisk acidity. The 2023 finishes with a gentle tannic heft, leaving hints of salted lime to linger. The Quarmari takes Pecorino to a whole new level. 2025 – 2032
Vinous, May, 2025
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 |