Valentini Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2020

The story of Valentini is one half of a tale of two eccentrics (the other being Emidio Pepe) who elevated undistinguished grapes from Abruzzo – a hilly region in the boondocks of central Italy – into some of the country’s most characterful and age-worthy wines.

Pre-Valentini and Pepe, Abruzzo was traditionally considered capable of only producing rustic table wines from Trebbiano and Montepulciano. Without the duo’s forward thinking and uncompromising ethos, this timeless Italian region might still be obscured by the more famous names of Piedmont and Tuscany.

Edoardo Valentini, who died in 2006 at the age of 72, restricted his commercial production to a fraction of its potential and refused nearly all requests for meetings from journalists and importers, and now this long tradition of reclusiveness is being upheld by his son Francesco Paolo and grandson Gabriele.

Even if first-hand information is hard to come by and visiting the winery is seemingly impossible, Valentini’s Trebbiano d’Abruzzo is probably our favourite Italian white. There’s something about it that recalls the elegance and poise of top white Burgundy, though with a slightly different density and textural richness, and evolving finesse and complexity in the glass. Seductive, structured, salty, and fresh, the 2020 is already a stunner. 

95+ points, Vinous