Tiberio Pecorino Colline Pescaresi 2022 92+VM

Tiberio
Abruzzo, Italy

$28.99 on 6+ (code: 6saves2)
$30.99 reg

92+ Vinous
The 2022 Pecorino blends the floral elegance of the central part of Tiberios vineyards with the power, minerality and textures from the flat and hilly locations. Dusty florals and freshly sliced green apples elevate a spicy bouquet of ginger and crushed rocks. This is deeply textural, with a core of vividly ripe orchard fruit and spices carried across a spine of salty minerals. It lasts incredibly long, pinching at the cheeks with tension while leaving a tart twang of lemony citrus. This is a wonderfully complete Pecorino, ultimately blended from three different bio-types within the same vineyard. The final blend is 60% DX-SX, the highest and lowest part of the vineyard, and 40% CE from the center and mid-slope.

Pecorino is an ancient variety that has always called the mountainous Appennine ridges of the Marche and Abruzzo its home. A low yielding variety due to sterility of the basal buds, over the centuries farmers shied away from it preferring instead to plant easier to grow, more productive varieties. Therefore Pecorino was all but forgotten, and nearly extinct by the 1970s. Capable of giving distinctive wines, and Pecorino fills that bill nicely. The grape is characterized by essentially round leaves and small round very thick skinned berries. The wine is rich in glycerol but also endowed with high total acidity, thereby offering a unique combination of texture and vibrancy. In fact, Pecorino wines have become so popular that much Pecorino has been planted recently, however the grape variety always performs best in hilly vineyard sites rather than flatland areas, which are not its natural habitat.

Varietal: 100% Pecorino massale selection
Altitude: 350 meters a.s.l.
Soil Composition: Mainly limestone with gravel-sandy subsoil
Vine Age: 21 years average
Fermentations: No press, just free-run juice fermented in stainless steel tanks. NO MALO
My Tasting Notes: Like a laser, young, vibrant and full of energy, this pulsates with lime, lime zest, savory notes of green tea and white peppercorn like you might find in a gruner veltliner, with lots of fresh acidity; med body, med+ aromas/flavor intensity, and finish. The geekier version of the 2 whites.