2020 Trebbiano d’Abruzzo

Another year has passed, and yet again, the Valentini family has decided not to produce any Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Francesco Valentini and his son, Gabriele, are adamant about not bottling Montepulciano unless it displays its traditional red color and doesn’t show any signs of over-ripeness, something that has not been achieved at this estate since 2015. Instead, the fruit is sold off. Last year, I tasted the 2022 Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, yet unsurprisingly, there will be no 2023, as peronospora in 2023 seriously impacted the Montepulciano grapes, something made even more pronounced because of the low-intervention farming here. The family continues to work with Trebbiano, and thankfully so, because it remains one of the best of its kind. The bottle I tasted on this trip was revisited over the course of twenty-four hours and simply got better and better. The Valentini family still has its hands full, as it manages a fully functioning farm that covers over 250 hectares, of which 70% are vineyards. Olive oil is one of their major productions outside of wine and is widely available in Italy and worth seeking out.