Tenute Agricole Masciarelli was established in the Abruzzo region of Italy in 1981 by Gianni Masciarelli, starting with about 5 acres of vineyards owned by his grandfather. Things would grow rapidly from there, as Gianni introduced a reserve level Montepulciano d’Abruzzo in 1984. He bought more vineyard land, expanding the comany holdings. Throughout the vineyards the philosophy of reduced yields, sustainable farming and respect for the fruit was implemented. Unfortunately, Gianni died suddenly in 2008. The family business continued however, overseen by his wife, Marina Cvetic. She has been joined by their eldest daughter. Together they now guide a large company with over 700 acres of vineyards, as well as olive trees. They are the only producer to own vineyards in all four of the provinces in Abruzzo, giving them the ability to create blends that no one else can.
From a modest start of 9000 bottles per year at the beginning, Masciarelli now produces around 2.2 million, coming
from 60 vineyard sites. Their wines are available in 50 countries worldwide. Various salts, honey, EVOO and, of course, Grappa add to their agricultural poduct list. But the wines are the stars here. Reds feature the Montepulciano grape, the second most grown red wine varietal grown in Italy behind Sangiovese. On the white side you’ll find native varietals featured including Trebbiano. The clone they cultivate is Trebbiano Abruzzese, an ancient clone which can create complex, long lived and ageworthy white wine. We’ll review one of those below.
Many wine lovers would associate Montelpuciano d’Abruzzo and Trebbiano with lighter styled, simple wines. Easy to drink might be an apt description. While you can certainly find many that would fit this description, the grapes can go far beyond that to produce world class wines of depth and substance. Do not discount these grapes out of hand.
Masciarelli produces wines across this spectrum, from lighter, easy drinking versions to spectacular, rich and ageworthy juices. There’s a lot to experience here. We earlier reviewed two wines from their entry level line, which you can read about here. Both were excellent. From the rest of their offerings we’ll have to make do with five bottles. They will, however, span that spectrum of style just described. Here they are:
2022 Masciarelli Villa Gemma Abruzzo Bianco: made from a blend of local varietals, namely Trebbiano, Pecorino and Cococciola, this juice is light yellow in color. The nose is fairly intense, with lots of fruit, hawthorne and some herbs. On the palate it is surprisingly smooth, with strong minerality and a nice acid balance. Overall this is a delicious white wine and would be excellent with food. Or just to sip. It has an SRP of $24 and is a solid value there.
2020 Masciarelli Marina Cvetic Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Riserva: this wine is a cut above the previous one, made form 100% Trebbiano Abruzzese. Light golden yellow in color, the nose opens with
apple notes, along with pear and a little peach. There are more nuances as this has a lot going on. It is complex, smooth, has good body, texture and a nice mouthfeel. The finish is very long. A superior white wine to be sure, this has an SRP of $60. You might think that is steep for a white, but compare it to quality bottles from Burgundy or California and then it doesn’t seem high at all. What is high is the quality. Good value here as well.
2022 Masciarelli Villa Gemma Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Superiore: now this wine is different. Cerasuolo means “cherry colored” in Italian, and that is certainly an apt descriptor 
for this juice. It is a brilliant, almost neon medium cherry. Think of red jello or a cherry jolly rancher with a light bulb inside it. It has medium body and nice vibrant fruit. Good length here as well. We tried it both at room temperature and chilled, and it works either way. It’s between a red and a rosé, leaning toward the rosé, or maybe a dark rosé. Anyway, it is different and delicious. SRP of $24. If you are a rosé lover then this is something a little different and worth a try.
2019 Masciarelli Marina Cvetic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva San Martino Rosso: now we’ll turn to more traditional red wines made with the Montepulciano grape. This first one is from their Marina Cvetic line, and is 100% Montepulciano. Is’s a dark purple red in color, with dark berries, cherry,
tobacco and vanilla on the nose. Log legs cascade down the glass, with alcohol sitting at 14.5%. Tannins are medium+, as is body right out of the bottle. You defintely get the impression it needs some time. Just let it get some air in the glass, or better yet decant for an hour or two. We let the bottle sit on the counter with a vaccum pump, and it really merged, integrated and deepend. Patience is rewarded with a beautiful, rich red wine that has elegance and finesse, as well as some power. SRP is $38 and we think this is a great value wine there.
2018 Masciarelli Villa Gemma Montelpulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva: the Villa Gemma Montepulciano Riserva is the most expensive wine we have from Masciarelli. It is also 100% Montelulciano d’Abruzzo. The color is a very dark, opaque purple, almost black. The nose yields dark berries, cherries, shoe polish 
and charred tobacco. This is pretty stellar, big and a little brawny, with stiff tannins. The balance is excellent and the finish is very long. It’s a higher level version of the previous wine, and will also benefit from a couple of hours in your decanter. With time it softens a bit, melds together and really becomes pretty impressive. This is a great wine. SRP is $98, and it compares favorably with most other wines in that price category. It’s a fair value and a good choice if you want to splurge a bit. Do let it breathe. If you want to put a few away for down the road, feel free to do so, as this will age effortless for a decade or more.
So as you can tell from the descritpions and impressions above, we’re fans of Masciarelli. We suspect you will be too.
A votre santé!
Leave a Reply