Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOP – 2023

93 Points

Luminous green-tinged yellow. Very pure nose that is more floral than usual but also more intense, with yellow and green apples, fresh citrus fruits, pear, white flowers, and a nuance of anise on the enticing nose; I can’t remember the last time this wine had a nose that was so impressive. Then at once densely packed and racy, with superb cut and clarity to the flavors of white fruit, lime and crushed stone, complicated by an obvious candied gingery note. With its bracing, almost youthfully high-acid finish, but buffered by ripe fruit of sneaky concentration and complexity this leaves a very impressive lingering aftertaste behind. At times with even very good Trebbiano d’Abruzzo wines you get a piercing mouthful of wine but not much in the way of facets: the great thing about this 2023 from Tiberio is that, though bigger and more textured than some previous vintages, it remains very faithful to the variety and kicks things up quite a few notches, without ever becoming tiresome or caricatural. It’s just an outstanding vintage for the grape variety and this wine showcases that in spades, and then some. One of the best Trebbiano d’Abruzzo wines from Tiberio in years; in many respects, this is really a baby Fonte Canale, so you know this offers a ton of value for the money. 2026 – 2031

Family-owned estate, Tiberio specializes in wines made from authentic Abruzzo native grape varieties. At 350 meters above sea level, twenty-three miles inland from the sea 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. A high-quality variety has nothing in common with other Trebbianos, the 60 years old vines must have been a great sight for Riccardo, who then and there decided to change his and his family’s destiny by quitting his job as an export manager starting his own winery in 2000. Today the winery is run by son Antonio (viticulture) and daughter Cristiana (winemaking) and it makes some of Italy’s best white, pink and red wines.

93 Points

The 2023 Trebbiano d’Abruzzo from Tiberio is a gorgeous young wine. It comes in listed at a svelte thirteen percent octane in this vintage and delivers a superb aromatic constellation of lemon, lime, a touch of menthol, chalky minerality, Chablis-like notes of straw, citrus peel and a topnote of lemongrass. On the palate the wine is vibrant, focused and full-bodied, with a superb core of fruit, excellent mineral drive and grip, a zesty girdle of acidity and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. This is delicious right out of the blocks, but will age long and gracefully and will be an even more complex glass of wine six to ten years down the road. Fine, fine juice. 2024 – 2045+

93 Points

The 2023 Trebbiano d’Abruzzo opens with a vivid bouquet of yellow apples, incense, chamomile and a dusting of confectionary spice. It contrasts salty mineral tones, sour lime and Granny Smith tartness with juicy acidity to create a tense yet zesty performance on the palate. This leaves a citrusy concentration that puckers the cheeks as hints of sour melon fade. Masterfully done. In my opinion, the Trebbiano d’Abruzzo is one of the most overlooked and underrated wines in the Tiberio portfolio. 2024 – 2030

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, which can outclass many of the region’s best wines at a fraction of the price, to the spell-binding 2020 Colle Vota and stimulating 2021 Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Fonte Canale (reviewed in my recent vertical retrospective). In 2023, Tiberio handled the conditions of the vintage very well, turning out a mineral-intense Pecorino and a Trebbiano d’Abruzzo that may be one of the most exciting young renditions of this bottling I’ve yet tasted. However, during my July visit in 2024, Cristiana and Antonio Tiberio were coping with a strange phenomenon. The vines had stopped producing after the pergola vineyards suffered from a combination of extremely dry conditions and cold air mass swept through the region in late April. As a result, canopies were extremely small, and clusters and berries were tiny. Cristiana Tiberio explained that she would not harvest the fruit from her older vines in an attempt to help them maintain their health for the upcoming seasons. The damage is sporadic, but she assured me that no amount of rain could fix the problems at this time. That said, there will be wine from 2024 but in much lower quantities and not from her older vines. While obviously grief-stricken over the situation, Cristiana Tiberio explained, “We have suffered and overcome worse conditions when we first started out.”

93 Points

A massal selection of the abandoned vineyard discovered by Cristiana Tiberio and her father in 1999, this is unusual in using the local Trebbiano Abruzzese rather than the much more widespread Trebbiano Toscano. It’s a vibrant, fresh and zesty expression, with sapid fruits and the variety’s typical high acidity. Juicy apricot, mango, apple and orange peel are cut through by a lick of lime juice, all softly cushioned by some subtle leesiness in the background. Enjoy now or give it more time in the bottle to show what this grape is truly capable of. 2025 – 2030