Tiberio Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Rose 2020

Bright pinkish-red color. Fresh aromas and flavors of red cherry and small red berries. Lovely acid-fruit balance with a bright, crisp, clean floral finish. Pair with pizza, pasts, fish dishes with sauce, cheese, meat.

91 Points – Vinous Pretty in pink, yet verging on red and packed full of character, the 2020 Cerasuolo dAbruzzo lifts up from the glass with beguiling depths of crushed stone, wild strawberries, nectarine and zesty citrus. Its vibrant, seeming to sizzle upon the senses with pent-up tension, as ripe red fruits ride a wave of stimulating acidity, leaving sweet inner florals in their wake. Enriching notes of spice, pomegranate and cherry pits linger through the long, slightly grippy and mouthwatering finale. Pour me another, please. This wine is made from a single vineyard with clay soils and a southern exposure, which was specifically tailored to grow Montepulciano for Cerasuolo. I thought it was interesting to hear from Cristiana Tiberio that she prefers to drink these wines young to properly enjoy the framing tannins that soften a bit too much over time. That said, you could easily cellar this for a number of years. PS: The vibrant color comes from all free-run juice.

90 Points – Anthony Gismondi Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is a relatively recent DOC in central Italy’s Abruzzo, and is a category named for the light and graceful cherry-like colour of these wines (cerasuolo means cherry in Italian). Take this as a cross between a ros and a very light red, with the 20+ year old Montepulciano dAbruzzo grapes being allowed to shine. The single block of heritage massale clones rest at 350m on limestone soils. After a destem, this sees only 20 minutes of skin contact before the free run juice is fermented in stainless. Even then, the colour is quite deep cherry in hue, with pomegranate, rhubarb, red currant, blood orange, tayberry on a tart, fresh, dry palate. Lovely intriguing wine for drinking now.