Passito di Pantelleria Donnafugata 2020 Ben Rye 75 Cl

Description

History

Antonio Rallo, current CEO of the company born in 1983, followed his father’s passions, dedicating himself to the sea and agriculture. It can be said that he grew up with Ben Ryé, first vintage 1989 and became its agronomic and oenological father. Intense work began immediately, starting with the restoration of the dry stone walls, raised and rebuilt piece by piece, up to a total extension of forty kilometres. Until 2006, the year of the construction of the cellar on the island in the Khamma district, everything necessary came from Contessa Entellina. In 1999 a Zibibbo vineyard was recovered with several ungrafted plants (not grafted), which had survived phylloxera and were over 100 years old. Unique vines, healthier and more long-lived than grafted plants, capable of resisting drought, limestone and salinity very well, with an excellent vegetative-productive balance. In 2010, thirty-three Zibibbo biotypes were planted from different areas of the Mediterranean (Spain, France, Greece and southern Italy), creating an experimental field dedicated to this unique grape.

Grapes used

Zibibbo 100%

Production method

The Passito di Pantelleria Donnafugata 2020 Ben Rye is a sweet wine produced in an artisanal way on the island of Pantelleria, in Sicily. The grapes, mainly Zibibbo (Moscatello), are left to dry in the sun for a few weeks to concentrate the sugars and aromas. Subsequently, the vinification takes place in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature and the wine is then aged in the bottle for at least 6 months.

Alcohol content

14.5%

Tasting notes

Amber yellow color with coppery shades. On the nose, intense aromas of dehydrated apricot, dried figs, honey, dates and great minerality, with spices of saffron, vanilla and hints of white pepper. On the palate the wine is soft, full, enveloping characterized by a balanced minerality that goes well with the other characteristics of the wine. The finish is very long and leaves a pleasant apricot flavor.

Possible combinations

Excellent at the end of a meal, with typical Sicilian desserts, with fruit and cream cakes or apricot tarts, but also with blue cheeses.