2022 Trebbiano d’Abruzzo

Like most Abruzzo producers, the topic of conversation this year at Tiberio revolved around the challenges posed by 2023. At the time of my visit, Cristiana and Antonio Tiberio had already witnessed two months of constant rain and cloudy skies, which, together with the warming temperatures of spring, created severe issues with downy mildew. While July brought drier weather, rain continued even up to the time of my writing this article. Cristiana Tiberio explained that while these conditions may be disastrous for the vintage, it was necessary to replenish the vines following the two years of drought that plagued Abruzzo through 2021 and 2022. Still, anything can happen from now until harvest, but fans of Tiberio should expect much lower quantities from 2023. Turning to the wines tasted during my visit, the 2019s should gain traction among collectors. With the release of the Colle Vota and Archivio labels, these two extraordinary yet completely atypical wines defy their usual character. Additionally, production remains lower than expected. It’s almost as if these two wines traded places in 2019, with the hauntingly beautiful Archivio showing more elegance and finesse and the richly textured Colle Vota being the darker and more broody of the two. Tiberio explained that the winter-like climate during May of 2019 created this odd personality swap, disrupting flowering and drastically lowering yields. The older vines and pergola training helped Archivio contain losses to 25%, while production for the Colle Vota was reduced between 45-50%. Ultimately, both wines beautiful and worth chasing, but the Archivio is not to be missed. As for the 2020 Fonte Canale, expect a more elegant and expressive wine. The 2020 vintage was warm yet well-balanced, with a long growing season devoid of significant climatic swings or any drastic weather events that global warming has brought about in recent years. Quantities are down due to a spring frost, but that helped in lending a textural richness that adds an extra dimension to the wine. Cristiana Tiberio explained that she would have rather released the 2020 before 2019 because it has shown so well since bottling.

Last but not least, this trip also included tasting three separate biotypes (a more accurate definition of clone) that combine to create Tiberio’s Pecorino. This was a fantastic exercise in understanding terroir and biotypes. The SX hails from the lower and flatter elevations, the DX from the highest part of the slope, and the CE from the vineyards' central part. When combined, they create a harmonious Pecorino. The combination of the DX-SX is undoubtedly my favorite, with its complex bouquet of dusty florals, incense and spice. While enveloping and sapid, this blend boasts a stern minerality, citrus core and green apple crunch. I feel the backbone of Tiberio's Pecorino here. The CE, on the other hand, is the more elegant wine, more savory than sweet, blending young apricot with stone dust and fresh ginger. It's round and soothing, impressive with its vividly ripe orchard fruit and inner florals. It finishes with a lemony concentration that puckers the cheeks as a mineral flourish lingers. Due to quantities, the chances of seeing these bottled separately are pretty slim, but one can always dream.