$22.99 on 12+ mix & match ok (code: 12saves3)
$25.99 reg

92 Vinous
The 2023 Pecorino Giocheremo Con I Fiori opens with a confectionary sweetness, mixing yellow apples with sweet spice, lemon zest and minty herbs. This boasts a core of zesty acidity and salty minerals that enhance its tart orchard fruits. Soothingly round textures add balance. Salty and full of youthful tension, the 2023 finishes with admirable length while leaving sour lime notes to resonate.
- By Eric Guido on July 2024
Torre dei Beati remains one of the region's benchmark producers and is a testament to the potential of Montepulciano and Trebbiano. For nearly two decades, Fausto Albanesi has been bottling his two top-shelf Montepulciano, the rich and sensual Mazzamurello and the complex and structured Cocciapazza. Both wines age remarkably well and display a lovely integration of oak. Check out the house Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for a more affordable peek into the estate's style. This year, I tasted the new Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Diverto. I’ve been a Bianchi Grilli Per La Testa fan for many years, but Diverto may take things to a new level. Diverto refines entirely, sur lie, in Clayver ceramic barrels for one year, which allows the wine to demonstrate Trebbiano’s superior quality without the assistance of oak. Albanesi is one of the most open-minded and forward-thinking producers in Abruzzo.

I love this wine. It is fun, and delicious, for the money it is a lot of wine. Pecorino is probably the most interesting white grape, generally speaking, in the Abruzzo region. It is naturally low yielding, higher in acidity and accumulates good sugars, making for a naturally very balanced and flavorful wine. Not to knock trebbiano, but not all trebbiano are created equal. Trebbiano plantings vastly outnumber Pecorino. The vast majority of the Trebbiano is not the ideal variant of Trebbiano or is planted/cropped in a way to bring out the best of Trebbiano, which takes a lot of work and the right site to coax out! (FWIW the Trebbiano here is supposed to be excellent, but not in stock at the moment!)

Varietal: 100% Pecorino
Altitude: 300 meters a.s.l., east/northeast exposure
Soil Composition: Clay-limestone on a sandy sublayer
Fermentations: 100% steel, with temperature control. 6 months “sur lies” in steel tanks

My Tasting Notes: Kind of like Chenin and Viognier had a baby...Med yellow with flecks of green colors. Fresh and med+ on the nose, peach and orange citrus: mandarin, tangerine, and clementine, orange blossoms add to the aromatic generosity. The palate is med/med+ across the board, a lot of flavor density and complexity, med+ on the fresh finish. This packs a lot of aroma and flavor, it's so much fun to drink! We had this with a charcuterie platter on Saturday with some friends and everybody loved it and the pairing!