Tiberio
Colle Vota Montepulciano 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 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
Colle Vota a single vineyard Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOP wine. Montepulciano from the Colle Vota vineyard has different characteristics that separate it neatly from all the other Montepulciano we grow at Tiberio. The bunches and berries are much smaller, with crunchier and thicker skins. Colle Vota Montepulciano also takes longer to mature, and this vineyard’s specific microclimate provides a longer hang time, producing a truly unique Montepulciano wine.
The Colle Vota vineyard tends to perform amazingly well in especially cooler, even rainy vintages. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wine made from Colle Vota grapes are uniquely refined and light on its feet, combining elements reminiscent of Burgundy’s Pinot Noir and Piedmont’s Nebbiolo, while maintaining a Montepulciano backbone and soul. For this reason, we decided to bottle this wine on its own as it is a unique expression not just of place, but of what the Montepulciano variety can deliver. Planted in 2000 using massal selections from the oldest Montepulciano vineyard on the property. Original Montepulciano clone adapted to its specific, new environment made up of different soils, subsoils and microclimate, leading to the development of a new Montepulciano biotype that expresses itself with a very distinct, more perfumed and refined wine.
- Vineyard Area: 4 acres/1.6 ha
- Altitude: 1150 feet/350 meters
- Soil: Limestone, marly-clay over a sandstone-rich bedrock
- Vines Planted: 2000
- Vine Training method: Single Guyot
- Planting Density: 4,000/ha
Harvest Notes
- Hand harvested the end of October
- Fermented using only indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks for 20 days
- Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in tank
- Aged in tanks
- Bottled unfined and unfiltered
- Aged in bottle before release
Winemaker's Notes
Layers of complexity. Expressive, intense flavors of yellow peach, cedar, cinnamon, sage, marzipan and soil. A long, deep, creamy, full-bodied texture with saline notes and silky, refined tannins. Concentrated energy on the lengthy finish.
Wine Summary
100% massal selection of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo transplanted to a higher single vineyard, resulting in a specific biotype uniquely adapted to its microclimate; vines 25 years old; limestone, marly clay over sandstone bedrock soils, uniquely suited to cooler, wetter conditions; 14.5% alcohol; hand harvested late October; naturally fermented in stainless steel tanks; malolactic fermentation and aging in tank; bottled unfined and unfiltered; aged in bottle before release.
Technical Information
- 100% massal selection Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
- Alcohol: 14.5%
Reviews
92 Points
Bright ruby-red. Medicinal cherry, crystallized blackberry, raspberry and a pungent herbal note on the nose. Fresh, juicy and tightly wrapped, with full-bodied and very ripe flavours of red cherry, balsamic oils and herbs. supported by firm acidity. Rather muscular wine, finishing long with pungent floral and musky nuances and a firm tannic spine. Not yet pliant but has the structure and material to reward aging, but I’m not so thrilled by the slightly green nuance most likely deriving from an imperfect ripening of the Montepulciano grapes or of the stems. Maybe I caught it at an awkward time, and it will develop nicely in bottle, but for now best to decant this four hours ahead. 2028 – 2033
Ian D'Agata Wine Review, March, 2025
96 Points
#21 of Top 100 Wines of 2025
Wildly perfumed and elegant from the first tilt of the glass, the 2021 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colle Vota wafts up with a bouquet of confectionary spices, dusty dried flowers, incense and dried strawberries. This is graceful and lifted in feel, with chalky mineral tones and woodland berries propelled by tantalizing acidity. A savory herbal tinge lingers through the long and tannic finish as the Colle Vota tapers off with tremendous length and a resonance of lavender pastille. It’s a radiant Montepulciano built for the cellar. 2028 – 2038
Vinous, May, 2025
96 Points
The 2021 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colle Vota is in a bit of a closed phase at the moment. Coaxing reveals dusty stone, cracked chalk and dried violets that give way to licorice-tinged blackberries. The palate is wildly expressive, with vibrant acidity energizing a pretty inner sweetness and silky textures. Lavender tones saturate toward the close. This concludes with cloves, incense and camphor over a bed of fine tannins. The 2021 is a potent vintage of Colle Vota with a balance that will carry it for over a decade in the cellar. 2028 – 2039
The Tiberio vineyards look fantastic after the struggles of the 2024 vintage. While several vines did not recover, most of the ancient Trebbiano Abruzzese and Montepulciano vines are thriving thanks to a balanced and slightly rainy 2026 season. Spirits are high. On this trip, I toured all of the parcels planted with massal selections, as well as a new parcel planted entirely to trees. The idea behind this is to create a forest that will bring balance to the vineyards. As for the new releases, Tiberio’s Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is once again a standout in the category. I also tasted every vintage of the Colle Vota, from 2014 to the newly minted 2022. Its aging potential is commendable, and the 2014 is still fresh as a daisy. Tiberio plans to release mixed six-packs of this wine in the near future, with two bottles each of 2018, 2019 and 2021. The 2023 Bianco Fonte Canale, now in bottle, no longer bears the name Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. After years of research and genetic testing, Cristiana Tiberio no longer believes that the DOC accurately represents her wine. Whereas most Trebbiano d’Abruzzo is a blend of Trebbiano Toscano and other varieties, the Fonte Canale is genetically confirmed to be 100% varietal Trebbiano Abruzzese. The 2023 is one of the best renditions of Fonte Canale I’ve ever tasted.
Vinous, June, 2026
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 |