Features
Name:
Ben Ryè Passito di Pantelleria DOCG 2023
Terrain:
sandy of lava origin with sub-acidic or neutral reaction; deep and fertile, well endowed in minerals
Cellar
Donnafugata was born from the commitment and foresight of a family that, with passion, has been able to innovate the style and perception of Sicilian wine in the world.
Giacomo Rallo, the fourth generation of a family with more than 160 years of experience in quality wine, founded Donnafugata in 1983 together with his wife Gabriella, a pioneer of winemaking in Sicily. Today, their sons José and Antonio lead the company and a team of people focused on excellence.
Donnafugata would not be the company it is today if Gabriella had given it a different name.
The name Donnafugata refers to Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel The Leopard. A name that means 'woman on the run' and refers to the story of a queen who found refuge in that part of Sicily where the company's vineyards are today. A story that inspired the company logo: the image of a woman's head with her hair in the wind that stands out on every bottle.
A face that is also that of Gabriella Rallo, the 'donnafugata' who gave up her job as a teacher to look after the Contessa Entellina vineyards full-time. One of the first women in Sicily to produce wine in a sector typically dominated by men: a pioneer of quality female viticulture.
Description
Made with Zibibbo grapes from vines cultivated using the "alberello pantesco" method, an agricultural practice recognised by UNESCO. Ben Ryè is one of the best known and most appreciated sweet Italian wines in the world. Its name means “daughter of the wind” in Arabic, an epithet attributed to this Mediterranean island, which is buffeted by winds that blow over the bunches of grapes and crops, bringing with them intense and very characteristic aromas, the same ones we find in the wine. A wine of great olfactory persistence, enveloping, characterised by mineral hints.
Organoleptic characteristics:
Golden colour with luminous amber highlights. Very intense bouquet with fruity notes of apricot, dates, yellow peach and candied orange peel, tropical notes of mango and papaya, followed by hints of Mediterranean scrub. On the palate, the fruity notes and hints of aromatic herbs, combined with sweet nuances of honey, are recaptured. Intense and persistent, with an extraordinary balance between freshness and sweetness, and a savoury, very long finish.
Storage time:
over 20 years
Vinification
Use of grapes from natural drying on racks in the sun for 3-4 weeks from 15 August onwards and addition, during fermentation, of hand-pulled sultanas. During maceration, the sultanas release their extraordinary sweetness, freshness and very personal aromaticity. The vinification process (fermentation and maceration) lasts over a month.
Acknowledgements
2021 Luca Maroni99/100
2020 Bibenda 
2020 Veronelli 94/100
2020 James Suckling 95/100
2020 Red Prawn
2020 Robert Parker94/100
