Masciarelli
Villa Gemma Abruzzo Bianco 2023
Abruzzo
Villa Gemma Abruzzo Bianco, created just a year after the iconic Villa Gemma Montepulciano, further cemented Abruzzo’s reputation for exceptional wines. First released in 1985, this white blend of Trebbiano, Pecorino, and Cococciola highlights the region’s unique grape varieties. The wine strikes a perfect balance, offering bright citrus and ripe stone fruit flavors with a touch of spice. It is fresh yet deep, showcasing both complexity and vibrancy. Villa Gemma Bianco has become one of the most exciting wines in the Masciarelli range.
VINEYARD
Across just 30 miles between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea, Masciarelli has assembled 60 specific sites averaging 5 acres each, spread across the diverse soils and altitudes of Abruzzo’s four provinces. The Villa Gemma Bianco is sourced from three of these distinct vineyards, with vines averaging 38 years old and elevations ranging from 435 to 1,200 feet, all rooted in the calcareous clay and limestone soils typical of the region.
WINEMAKING
After destemming and pressing, this wine undergoes a 20-hour cold soak prior to a cool fermentation in stainless steel. There is little bottle aging for this wine as it is intended to be consumed in its youth.
VINTAGE
The 2023 growing season in Abruzzo faced significant challenges, with heavy rains in May and June leading to widespread downy mildew. The fungal disease spread rapidly, compounded by muddy soil that prevented access for treatment. This resulted in an estimated 40% drop in production, with some vineyards experiencing losses exceeding 70%. Despite the difficulties, winemakers remained hopeful, with salvaged grapes producing high-quality, fresh wines. This vintage was notably smaller than recent vintages.
TASTING NOTE
Brilliant, pale straw yellow color. Fairly intense with floral notes, great flavor and minerality.
Color
White
Blend %
100% Trebbiano
Appellation
Abruzzo
Alcohol
13%
Suggested Retail Price
$27
Reviews
Vinous - September 1, 2024 "The 2023 Bianco is sweetly floral and fresh, with a pretty blend of chalk dust, raw almonds, spring flowers and sliced pears. It sweeps across the palate with ease, soft and round with a salty tinge up front that neatly frames its ripe orchard fruits. The 2023 finishes crisp and with a pleasantly bitter tinge of spice and lemon rinds."
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Marina Cvetic Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Riserva
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
The Trebbiano Riserva Marina Cvetic represents the ultimate expression for the estate of one of the historical vines of Abruzzo. Like Montepulciano, Trebbiano was once thought to be a workhorse grape without the potential to produce great wine. The interpretation of this wine is original and has a character. Marina Cvetic wines have full body and are elegant and are a “lone voice” for the most demanding and technical experts.
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Masicarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is the benchmark for Montepulciano in Italy and the world. Pioneering winemaker Gianni Masciarelli, who put winemaking Abruzzo on the map, elevated the wines from his native region to new heights, and his Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a tribute to his home as well as a perfect introduction to the grape and to Abruzzo. This wine shows how, when handled with care, the late ripening Montepulciano grape produces refined wines of soft acidity, ripe and moderate tannins, and bright red berry and cherry notes with a distinct, spicy character.
Marina Cvetic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Gianni Masciarelli one day suprised his wife by presenting her with this wine, from the grape he made famous from the region, named after her. Croatian in origin, her first reaction was that no one would be able to pronounce the wine. Because of the outstanding sites used to produce the wine and the serious winemaking care it undergoes, Marina Cvetic Montepulciano d'Abruzzo soon became the most widespread example of serious Montepluciano in the world.
Marina Cvetic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo ISKRA
ISKRA is a true outlier, representing a single vineyard handled in a particular way to create a wine of extraordinary distinction and depth.
Villa Gemma Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo
Abruzzo Cerasuolo
Perhaps the finest rosé production area in Italy, and one of the few appellations dedicated only to rosé, Cerasuolo has a long history of producing serious rosé, and showcasing how well the Montepulciano grape is adapted to rosé. Masciarelli first produced this wine in 1986, only 5 years after the winery was founded. With deep fruit and structure but no shortage of pleasure, it is a rosé you can take to the dinner table.
Villa Gemma Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Started in Gianni Masciarelli's grandfather's basement, Villa Gemma is the wine that announced Abruzzo to the world, showcasing what the region and grapes of Abruzzo could produce. Villa Gemma Montepulciano Riserva is the only Italian wine with 14 consecutive Tre Bicchieri awards and, more importantly, was the wine that established Abruzzo as capable of making truly distinct, extraordinary wines. Villa Gemma Montepulciano Riserva is a powerfully - almost undeniably - intense wine of character and complexity, with deep fruit and earthy, spicy secondary charachteristics that could only come from the Montepulciano grape in Abruzzo.
Trebbiano d’Abruzzo
Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
Trebbiano is the white grape that Gianni Masciarelli fought so hard to legitimize. In Abruzzo, the specific clone is different than the high yielding, sometimes simple version of the grape found elsewhere in Italy. On Abruzzo's soils, this variety of Trebbiano creates immensely expressive, a touch opulent, and age-worthy wines.
Rosato
Colline Teatine IGT
Abruzzo and the Montepulciano grape are famous for making arguably the finest rose in Italy, from one of the only appellations in Italy dedicated completely to rose; Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo. This Rosato is the little sister - a fresh and totally delightful expression.
