2021 Donnafugata Passito di Pantelleria Ben Rye
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Tasting notes
Always a treat to taste, this wine is an institution in the elite world of Italian dessert wines. The Donnafugata 2021 Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé is made with carefully sun-dried Zibibbo grapes (Muscat of Alexandria) from terraced vineyards on this windy volcanic island off the coast of Sicily in the direction of Libya. The wine shows an orange-leaning-into-amber color and reveals quite a bit of fireworks in terms of its aromas. There is honey, candied fruit, almond paste, white raisin and dried apricot. You also get a beautiful note of acidity that recalls freshly squeezed blood oranges. This vintage celebrates the two-year anniversary since Pantelleria gained UNESCO World Heritage Status for its ancient head-pruned vines. Production is 96,000 bottles (including smaller 375-milliliter formats).
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Vines located on the north-east side of the island. Average vine age over 60 years with some ungrafted vines over 100 years old. Grown on sandy volcanic soils, planted on terraced slopes, trained as low bush vines to protect them from the wind. Manual harvesting into crates over 3–4 weeks, additional selection before pressing and fermenting in temperature-controlled tank for about one month. Aged in tank for 5 months and in bottle for 8 months. RS 197 g/l, TA 7.2 g/l, pH 3.78. Copper-coloured. Intense stone-fruit aromas – apricots and peach leap from the glass. Intensely sweet and viscous, with warming alcohol and balanced acid. Stunning. (SCJ)
The 2021 Ben Ryé is a total pleasure, seducing with a bouquet that mixes sweet smoke with tangerine, mint leaf and clove. Like pure nectar on the palate, this envelopes all it touches in texturally ripe orchard fruits and tropical melon. Sweet spices and sour citrus add contrast toward the close. It finishes spicy and long, leaving a dusty inner floral sensation and hints of candied ginger and lime. Ben Ryé is always a total pleasure and, in my opinion, one of the top dessert wines produced in Italy. This varietal Zibibbo finishes at 197 grams of residual sugar per liter.