Villa Gemma
Colline Teatine Bianco 2019
Colline Teatine IGT
While the Villa Gemma Montepulciano was the wine that announced Abruzzo to the world, the Bianco, created just a year later, further defined what the region and grapes of Abruzzo could produce. This wine, first released in 1985, speaks to the white grape varieties specific to the region and has become on of the most exciting wines produced at the estate
VINEYARD
In a span of only 30 miles between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea, Masciarelli has carefully assembled 60 specific sites averaging just 5 acres and spread across the diverse soils and altitudes f the 4 provinces of Abruzzo. With vines averaging 37 years of age, the grapes of the Villa Gemma Bianco is sourced from three distinct vineyards, ranging in elevation from 435 to 1,200 feet. These vineyards, as is usual for Abruzzo, are predominantly calcareous clay and limestone.
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. The 2019 final blend was 70% Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, 25 Pecorino, and 5% Cocciola.
VINTAGE
The wine growing season of 2019 was negatively characterized by the cold and rainy weather conditions of April and May. After an almost absent winter with a pleasant climate and evenly distributed rains, between the end of April and the end of May sudden drops in temperature occurred with even frosts at the bottom of the valleys. All this brought several problems, initially the onset of blind buds during budding, then a difficult fruit set with the result of having fewer bunches and less weight due to the lower number of berries on the bunches. The delay in the occurrence of phenological phases was recovered in late summer despite two floods in mid-July. The harvest started in light advance for the precocious international varieties, but the perturbed climate in the first decade of September has rebalanced the picking time for trebbiano and montepulciano. The difficult fruit set turned out to be a great qualitative advantage on all the cultivated varieties, allowing to mitigate an unusual and troubled climatic course. This resulted in a de facto decrease in production.
TASTING NOTE
Brilliant, pale straw yellow color. Fairly intense with floral notes, great flavor and minerality.
Color
White
Appellation
Colline Teatine IGT
Alcohol
13.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$20.00
Reviews
"Tangy, minerally"
James Suckling - December 11, 2020
"Plenty of green apple, lemon and some crushed stone on the nose and palate. Medium to full body and a tangy, minerally aftertaste."
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
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.
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.
