Tiberio Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Archivio 2019

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Located in the rugged Adriatic region of Abruzzo, Cristiana Tiberio’s 30 ha estate has fast gained a reputation for her unapologetic take
on what the wines of her region should be. Working with very old, own-rooted Trebbiano Abruzzese vines and with the indigenous
varieties of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Pecorino, she has made it her mission to craft wines that display real purity and elegance
with a very distinct character. The focus here is on combining indigenous varieties and unique terroir with state-of-the-art winemaking.
The resulting wines are some of the purest and long-lived wines in the region.

Prior to taking over the family estate, Cristiana had an impressive array of winemaking experience, including Jacques Selosse in
Champagne, Nicolas Joly at Coulee de Serrant, Egon Muller in the Mosel, and various producers in Chablis. You can assume from her resume that structure and minerality are key to her style. Wine Spectator’s Robert Camuto: ”Cristiana exudes a quiet, determined
energy as she explains the lengths to which Tiberio goes for ‘purity.’ I thought I’d seen everything when it came to winegrowers working
in tune with their vineyards, but Cristiana takes it to another level.”

To achieve her ends Cristiana uses methods that are extreme in their rigour and, when considered together, possibly unique. In the
vineyards, Tiberio does not prune or plow in the summer, and doesn’t irrigate or fertilise at all. Anything that can be considered an
adjustment to that natural vineyard state is ruled out, including biodynamic practices. Cristiana is resolute: “Bringing other elements
from another soil or subsoil or process is not a good idea. It’s super important that the vines express what they get from the roots and
these subsoils only.” The ultimate purista…

"Moderately glass-staining purple. Surprisingly low-pitched for a Tiberio wine, with a spicy nose evoking red and dark cherries, violet, licorice, underbrush, allspice, and cocoa, plus a touch of licorice for added interest. Creamy-smooth and rich on the palate, but also vibrant and precise despite its size, with flavours that echo the aromas. The aftertaste hints at cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa, and smoke. 2026 – 2040."
95 points, Terroir Sense - Ian D'Agata, May, 2023.

"The 2019 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Archivio opens slowly in the glass, darkly intense and youthfully coiled. Swirling brings an aromatic blend of foreign spice, balsam herbs, dried black cherries and lifting shaved pine notes. With its silky textures, this seduces, more lifted and poised than I’d imagined. A core of tart raspberry fruit stains the palate as a web of fine-grained tannins forms toward the close. While structured and dramatically long, the Archivio maintains a lovely harmony, as a bitter tinge of savory spice mingles with violet inner florals. Interestingly, the textural performance between the Archivio and Colle Vota seems to have traded places in 2019, as this is the more elegant and lifted of the two. It’s an atypical Archivio that should not be missed. 2026 – 2036."
95 points, Vinous, August, 2023.