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The 2010 Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé is wonderfully complete. Hints of dried Mediterranean herbs, licorice, dried roses, orange blossoms and roasted coffee beans flow effortlessly as the 2010 opens up in the glass. All the elements are fabulously balanced in this medium-bodied, moderately sweet dessert wine. This is a striking version of the Ben Ryé. (375 ml)

Duftig. Noten von getrockneten Aprikosen, kandierte Nektarinen, frische Feigen, nach einer Weile immer mehr Trockenkräuter. Saftig dicht, gute Balance zwischen Säure und Süsse, langer Nachhall mit Noten von Aprikosen

An unctuous sweet wine, with melted Turkish apricot, candied orange zest and light, caramel-tinged date notes balanced on a full-bodied, cream-accented frame. The broad finish lingers with fruit and spice. Zibibbo. Drink nowthrough 2025

Ben Ryè can claim to be both a cult wine and a commercial wine, and that’s a very difficult goal to achieve. Sweet, syrupy and crisp t the time, this Sicilian dessert wine opens with a luminous amber color and intense aromas of prune, dried apricot, honey, caramel and custard cream. It’s seriously delicious (ML).

Born from a challenging vintage that saw too much rainfall in parts of Sicily and not enough in others, the 2011 Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé manages to keep pace with some of the best vintages that precede it. My feeling is that this is a slightly more technical wine that shows the expertise of Donnafugata’s winemaking team. By 2011, they had grown accustomed to the new winery and the newer vineyard plantings. This wine shows a bright amber color and classic passito aromas of candied fruit, honey and maple syrup.

E’ un canone polifenolico: restituisce l’isola attraverso le sue componenti. Albicocca, ma anche sale e iodio. Un best seller che è anche un modello virtuoso per una tipologia in difficoltà a causa di scellerate scelte politiche volte a favorire gli imbottigliatori.

MIGLIORI VINI D’ITALIA 2014 D’AGATA COMPARINI. Che dire, Donnafugata è una delle più grandi aziende vinicole italiane e ogni anno la collezione dei loro vini ne è la migliore dimostrazione. Se da un parte quindi vorremmo segnalarne tre o quattro dall’altra è difficile non avere nella selezione il suadente e splendido Ben Rye. Un vino sontuoso che rappresenta splendidamente la terra da dove proviene. Un colore ora antico brillante, il naso è avvolgente e ampio, albicocca passita, sentori di fichi e splendide nuance mediterranee, di macchia e di erbe. Il palato è cremoso, denso richiama la ricchezza dell’olfatto e si arricchisce del gusto dell’arancia candita e della crema. Il finale è lungo, lunghissimo nonostante la sontuosità equilibrato con una vena di mineralità che lo rendono veramente spettacolare. Come sempre da meditazione o abbinamenti particolari.

A perfect sweet wine. Smooth and rich with sweet’n’ sour apricot flavours that really linger

Bright yellow-gold color. Pungent, tangy aromas of orange peel, grapefruit, lime blossom, apricot and sweet spices on the mesmerizingly pure nose. Juicy, intense and penetrating, with razor-sharp acidity lifting and focusing the thick, concentrated grapefruit, honeyed peach, orange peel, cinnamon and ginger flavors. This shows a near-perfect sugar/acid balance, and comes across as light on its feet for such a rich, concentrated wine. The slowly building, palate-staining finish goes on and on, with repeating floral and honey notes. This is always Donnafugata’s best wine, and this vintage is one of their best ever. Readers should be aware that moscato di Alessandria is usually called zibibbo in Italy (which is also its official name, by the way). Ian D’Agata

Made with Muscat of Alexandria from the volcanic slopes of Sicily, this is dense and juicy, with liquid orange peel and honey notes plus a touch of wormwood and menthol alongside stone fruit on the palate. Match with blue cheese, chocolate, or apple pie

Sun-dried Zibibbo (Muscat d’Alexandria). Amber. Complex, layers of smoky bacon, maple syrup and nectarines. Gingery citrus tang, over pecan bass notes. Layers and layers of flavour here, rich fleshy plums, cloves, and shimmering with madeira-like acidity. Stunning. (TC)

Ripe yellow peach and orange granite notes lead the way in this expressive sweetie. Finely balanced and mouthwatering, with racy acidity and hints Earl Gray tea, smoke and biscuit accenting the fruit flavors. Builds on the finish. Drink now through 2024. A.N