Donnafugata Mille e una Notte 2018
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A deep nose of plum, blackberry, red licorice and ground coriander. Medium-to full-bodied with some tense tannins. Fresh. Well-ripened fruit that shows lovely depth, but is not overdone whatsoever. Red fruit takes charge on the palate. A hint of caper, too. Lovely and precise for a wet vintage. Best after 2023.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The top-shelf red from Donnafugata is the 2018 Sicilia Mille e Una Notte, which is mostly Nero d'Avola with other grapes in the blend, including Petit Verdot and Syrah. It shows rich concentration and dark fruit flavors of blackcurrant and plum. With time, you also perceive Sicilian aromas of caper and black olive. Those dark primary fruit flavors are framed by spice and mineral. The mouthfeel in 2018 is thinner than past vintages, especially on the mid-palate, and there is some bitterness that implies greener tannins. Some 70,000 bottles were released.
-
Wine Spectator
A fragrant red, with green olive, chopped rosemary, stone and orange peel notes accenting macerated black raspberry and currant fruit flavors. Firm, sculpted tannins serve as a lightly chewy frame for this fresh, full-bodied version. Nero d'Avola, Petit Verdot and Syrah. Best from 2024 through 2029.
Other Vintages
2019-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast - Decanter
-
Wine
Spectator
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling - Decanter
- Decanter
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
-
James
Suckling
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Tasting
Panel -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
-
James
Suckling
-
James
Suckling
In 1983, the experienced winegrowing couple Giacomo and Gabriella Rallo decided to invest in a new Sicilian project that they called “Donnafugata.” Their vision was to create a contemporary winegrowing operation based around three sites in western Sicily and to produce a range of international and indigenous variety wines to showcase the potential of Sicily.
Today the estate is comprised of an historic family cellar in Marsala that dates back to 1851, a 667-acre estate at Contessa Entellina planted to a diverse range of grapes, and a third cellar on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, where Donnafugata cultivates 168 acres of Zibibbo vineyards. The company employs state-of-the-art, sustainable viticulture techniques at all three estates for wines of the highest quality.
At Donnafugata, stewardship of the environment is taken as seriously as the production of wine. The winery was one of the first wineries in Italy to produce all of its electricity from solar energy, taking advantage of the bountiful Sicilian sunshine, and in 2015 the island of Pantelleria was given UNESCO certification recognizing its unique vine training method.
The name Donnafugata refers to the novel by Tomasi di Lampedusa entitled Il Gattopardo (The Leopard). A name that means “donna in fuga” (woman in flight) and refers to the story of a queen who found refuge in the part of Sicily where the company’s vineyards are located today.
Boldly opulent and robust, Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s most widely planted red grape. Nero d’Avola performs well both as a single varietal bottling and in blends. It loves hot, arid climates and Sicily's old vines are aptly head-trained close to the ground, making them resistant to strong winds. A few pioneering producers in California as well as Australia farm Nero d’Avola in the same way. Somm Secret—Nero d’Avola's other name, Calabrese, suggests origins from the mainland region of Calabria.
A large, geographically and climatically diverse island, just off the toe of Italy, Sicily has long been recognized for its fortified Marsala wines. But it is also a wonderful source of diverse, high quality red and white wines. Steadily increasing in popularity over the past few decades, Italy’s fourth largest wine-producing region is finally receiving the accolades it deserves and shining in today's global market.
Though most think of the climate here as simply hot and dry, variations on this sun-drenched island range from cool Mediterranean along the coastlines to more extreme in its inland zones. Of particular note are the various microclimates of Europe's largest volcano, Mount Etna, where vineyards grow on drastically steep hillsides and varying aspects to the Ionian Sea. The more noteworthy red and white Sicilian wines that come from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna include Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio (reds) and Carricante (whites). All share a racy streak of minerality and, at their best, bear resemblance to their respective red and white Burgundies.
Nero d’Avola is the most widely planted red variety, and is great either as single varietal bottling or in blends with other indigenous varieties or even with international ones. For example, Nero d'Avola is blended with the lighter and floral, Frappato grape, to create the elegant, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, one of the more traditional and respected Sicilian wines of the island.
Grillo and Inzolia, the grapes of Marsala, are also used to produce aromatic, crisp dry Sicilian white. Pantelleria, a subtropical island belonging to the province of Sicily, specializes in Moscato di Pantelleria, made from the variety locally known as Zibibbo.