Passito di Pantelleria Donnafugata 2021 Ben Rye 75 Cl

Description

History

Antonio Rallo, current CEO of the company founded 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, the 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 kilometers. Until 2006, the year the cellar was built on the island in the Khamma district, everything necessary came from Contessa Entellina. In 1999, a Zibibbo vineyard was recovered with several ungrafted (not grafted) plants, which had survived the 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 biotypes of Zibibbo from different areas of the Mediterranean (Spain, France, Greece and southern Italy) were planted, creating an experimental field dedicated to this unique grape in the world.

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 nuances. On the nose, intense aromas of dehydrated apricot, dried figs, honey, dates and great minerality, with saffron spices, 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 flavour.

Possible combinations

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