Donnafugata - Ben Ryé - Passito di Pantelleria 2016 (375ml)
Price: $39.99
| Producer | Donnafugata |
| Country | Italy |
| Varietal | Dessert |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Size | 375ml |
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Donnafugata Description
Ben Ryé 2016 offers an extraordinary rich bouquet with outstanding aromas obtained from the dried grapes: apricots and candied orange peel. It presents delicate hints of Mediterranean macchia. The palate is very fresh and intense, balancing perfectly the sweetness followed by a long and satisfying persistence.
Decanter Magazine: 98 Points
More of an experience than merely a wine! An exotic blast of ripe stone fruit and sweet spice unfold to reveal honeyed layers of mandarin zest and sumptuous apricot. Creamy and luxurious with a superb acidity and captivating finish.
Wine & Spirits Magazine: 96 Points
The 2016 growing season on Pantelleria saw moderate temperatures but extraordinarily low rainfall, reducing the already miniscule yields for this sweet wine by 30 percent. The team at Donnafugata began harvesting zibibbo (muscat d’Alexandria) for Ben Ryé in mid-August, drying the clusters outdoors on straw mats; then they made a second pass in September, gathering grapes to crush for the base wine. By adding the dried clusters to the wine before fermentation, they avoid extracting any bitter flavors that alcohol might draw out, and preserve the zibibbo’s exotic scents.
Wine Advocate: 96 Points
Rather than pair this wine with a Sicilian dessert, serve it as the Sicilian dessert. The 2016 Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé is a radiant and beautifully fragrant edition with white raisins, honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, caramel, preserved lemon, dried sage, apricot and sea salt. I could go on. The wine is light on its feet thanks to that crisp acidity, yet it has the volume and richness to coat your palate in all its luscious glory. The whole package is explosive. This dessert wine is usually sold in a 750-milliliter bottle (with some 80,000 bottles made), but you can also find it in a smaller 375-milliliter bottle.
Wine Enthusiast: 95 Points
Made from 100% dried Zibibbo grapes, this classic dessert wine offers intense aromas of mature apricot, chestnut honey and orange marmalade. The fresh, balanced palate doles out ripe fig, date, lemon jam, tangerine zest and a touch of bergamot that persist into the long lingering finish.
James Suckling: 94 Points
Lovely nectarine, apricot, mango and tangerine aromas. This is luscious and dense, with beautifully sweet and pure yellow and orange fruit. Honey and apricots all the way. What a treat.
Wine Spectator: 92 Points
The color of burnished brass, this vibrant dessert wine offers a tang of iodine, along with rich flavors of apricot preserves, dried mint and candied almond. Long and creamy, with a toffee-laced finish. Drink now through 2026.
