Premi

“The 2020 Isolano Dolce & Gabbana is understated in the glass with an airy blend of young peaches and smoky crushed stone. This washes across the palate with ripe orchard fruits and saline-mineral tones, all propelled by juicy acidity. The 2020 leaves a lingering tension and refinement, with repleting mineral tones and finishing with medium length.”

“The 2019 Etna Rosso Fragore is dark and brooding in the glass, with dusty rose and earth tones slowly giving way to reveal crushed black cherries. While round and juicy on the palate, this possesses a core of tart wild berry fruits and mineral tones that slowly saturate and add a youthful tension toward the close. The 2019 finishes structured and long with a last primary concentration as violet inner florals gradually taper off.”

“Dusty rose and earth tones give way to spiced blood orange and hints of animal musk as the 2018 Cuordilava Dolce & Gabbana opens in the glass. It’s surprisingly fresh and juicy on the palate, with ripe red and blue fruits swirling across a vibrant acidity core. The 2018 finishes with unexpected depth and concentration, leaving fine-grained tannins that pinch at the cheeks. There’s substantially more power and complexity than expected here. That said, this varietal Nerello Mascalese is geared for the cellar.”

“The 2019 Tancredi Dolce & Gabbana is dark and intense, with an air of smoky crushed rocks and savory herbs that gives way to black currant and balsamic spice. Silky yet racy in style, this impresses further with depths of mineral-tinged red and black fruits that saturate. A web of fine-grained tannins mounts toward the close. It finishes dramatically long, structured and potent, with graphite nuances and a mentholated herbal freshness that helps to lift the experience. The Tancredi is going to need time, and a lot of it, yet it will be time well spent. It’s a radiant beauty. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Nero d’Avola and Tannat.”

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.

“Hauntingly dark and spicy, the 2019 Mille e Una Notte opens with a burst of mentholated herbs, cloves, shaved cedar and crushed blackberries. It’s seamlessly silky and elegant throughout. Textural waves of ripe red and black fruits ride a core of vibrant acidity, leaving balsam herbal tones, cocoa and fine-grained tannins in their wake. The 2019 finishes dramatically long and structured, with a twang of tart red plums and sage. This is a radiant yet powerful rendition of Mille e Una Notte, which will benefit from and demand cellaring.”