2020 Tiberio Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo (11/2/2022)
Well this is a pretty little thang! Wish Summer wasn't over cuz this is a total beach guzzler! Fresh cranberries, crushed cherries, wild strawberries...SO vibrant with youth...has a slight tingle that integrates with some swirls...super balance as there is no martini heat or weird tartness in this...zippy and crunchy with nice lifted acidity...good dryness of red licorice and crushed rocks...potpourri of dried roses and herbs...not the complexity and depth of Emidio Pepe's version...but for half/third the price, it satisfies and gives you a glass full of Abruzzo sunshine! (93 points)
I’ve had the Fonte Canale trebbiano which was one of the most laser acidic wines I’ve had. Not necessarily in a bad way but I’ve out the other bottles back to sleep.
The regular Trebbiano is a good wine cellar defender
Or once upon a time $12 from me when I was the first in the US to import them a decade ago.
Then, national importer bully tactics ensued.
Blech.
The perils of being a little guy.
They’re good people, the Tiberio family. Im glad that they’re getting their due recognition.
Hmm. Pecorino has been my least favorite from the stable. It’s always lacked freshness for me — even from the same sources as other bottles, so less likely to be a storage issue.
Hi everyone, I think the Tiberio wines are very difficult to find in Italy. The two largest retailers in Rome (enoteca Costantini and Trimani) didn’t even carry them. I had to go directly to the winery and beg Cristiana to let me purchase some. We are lucky in the States.
We probably tried different vintages (I recall having 2016 and 2020) but the bottles I have had have all been very fresh (it’s a high acidity variety) and it has a textural component and depth that I find very attractive. What came to mind when I first drank Tiberio’s Pecorino was that it might be a bit polarizing with a (for me positive) slight bitterness that the wine can show.
Found my notes for a 2016 Pecorino (drank it in 2018):
Citrus, herbs, freshness and focused apples, salinity, slight bitterness yet roundness to the fruits. Long clean finish with a tingle to it. After a couple of days smokiness start showing.
The 2022 is a very special wine that was the result of an insanely warm and arid year. The thick skins and dehydrated berries combined with the acidity that Tiberio was able to obtain make for a very serious Cerasuolo.
IMO, Tiberio is still underrated in the market, and I have so much respect for Cristiana for not hiking up her prices on the Cerasuolo, Trebbiano, Pecorino and Montepulciano.
