“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 Rye 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. Drinking window: 2023-2030. 94 points
These new releases from Donnafugata are very strong overall, showing a continued increase in overall quality across the board. However, the 2021 Ben Ryé lacks the soaring aromatics and textural depths of the 2019 I tasted last year. Of course, this is likely to do more with the arid conditions of the vintage than anything else. Still, it’s a wonderful effort and remains what I consider to be one of Italy’s greatest dessert wines. The balanced 2019 vintage is on full display through the Cabernet-dominated Dolce & Gabbana Tancredi and Nero d’Avola-dominated Mille e una Notte. Both wines show tremendous potential. I’m not a huge fan of marketing partnerships in the wine world, such as emblazing “Dolce & Gabbana” on the label, but this is a serious wine, and it’s obvious that Donnafugata is putting a lot of effort into making it very special. Their continued efforts on Mount Etna are also noteworthy and are starting to come into their own.”
“Marco de Bartoli has long been one of the best wine estates not just in Sicily but in all of Italy. Sadly, Marco, a very likable man who did so much for Marsala production, is no longer with us, but his son Renato has followed brilliantly in his footsteps, expanding the winery’s portfolio and promoting research of old local vines. For example, de Bartoli’s is the first Catarratto bottling made exclusively from the Lucido biotype (not a clone) of Catarratto Comune , of which there are three: Comune, Lucido and Extralucido. Although generations of growers has repeated the received wisdom that the last two gave the best wines, until de Bartoli came along with his Lucido bottling nobody had bothered to see if that was really the case. Those consumers who have never found a Marsala wine to like owe it to themselves to try the ones by made by de Bartoli.”
“The 2021 Bukkurram Sole di Agosto is subdued and nuanced in the glass, wafting up with exotic florals, dried peaches and lime. This washes easily across the palate, guided by juicy acidity, with ultra-ripe melon and citrus complemented by sweet mint. It finishes long and staining, leaving peach preserves and candied ginger. Drinking window: 2023-2028. 91 points
Marco de Bartoli is highly regarded for vintage Marsalas (make sure to check out the note on the 1988); his work is a fresh interpretation of Grillo and Zibibbo. These are some of the best white wines made in Sicily today. The Gappoli di Grillo goes through twenty-four hours of maceration and is then aged on its lees with bâtonnage in a mix of French oak barrels ranging from 225 to 1,000 liters. The Gappoli di Grillo is one of the most complex renderings of the variety I’ve ever encountered. Another highlight is the Zibibbo Integer, a wild wine from their bush-trained vines on Pantelleria. It goes through several months of maceration in clay amphorae, followed by ten months of further aging. Open a bottle and prepare to be bombarded by its exotic aromatics and seduced by its deep textures and zesty acidity. These wines get snatched up quickly by loyal de Bartoli fans. I can’t recommend them highly enough.”
“The 1988 Marsala Superiore Oro Riserva is a dark amber color with orange hues. It opens with a spice-box bouquet that takes all the confections of Autumn and Christmas blended with dried apricots, peaches and cedar shavings. It’s silky smooth yet lifted and decidedly savory, with a burst of ground ginger and sour citrus complicating its remnants of tart orchard fruit. Butterscotch comes together with clove and golden raisin as the 1988 finishes impossibly long and potent. It shows just a touch of forgivable heat as suggestions of hazelnut linger on and on. More like a brown spirit than a wine, the 1988 is irresistible. Drinking window: 2023-2038. 96 points
Marco de Bartoli is highly regarded for vintage Marsalas (make sure to check out the note on the 1988); his work is a fresh interpretation of Grillo and Zibibbo. These are some of the best white wines made in Sicily today. The Gappoli di Grillo goes through twenty-four hours of maceration and is then aged on its lees with bâtonnage in a mix of French oak barrels ranging from 225 to 1,000 liters. The Gappoli di Grillo is one of the most complex renderings of the variety I’ve ever encountered. Another highlight is the Zibibbo Integer, a wild wine from their bush-trained vines on Pantelleria. It goes through several months of maceration in clay amphorae, followed by ten months of further aging. Open a bottle and prepare to be bombarded by its exotic aromatics and seduced by its deep textures and zesty acidity. These wines get snatched up quickly by loyal de Bartoli fans. I can’t recommend them highly enough.”
