Donnafugata - Mille e una Notte 2017 | Monsieur Touton Selection

Tasting Notes

Ruby red colored the Mille e una Notte has an ample and enveloping bouquet characterized by fruity notes of mulberry and blackberry, and balsamic and spicy scents (nutmeg). In the mouth it is soft and full-bodied and amazes with the great finesse of its tannins. Extraordinary persistence on the finish. Donnafugata's flagship red confirms itself as an icon of style and elegance.

Description

Mille e una Notte is Donnafugata's flagship red wine, an icon of style and elegance. Mille e una Notte is bold and smooth with a signature bouquet of fruity notes, balsamic and spice with extraordinary persistence on the finish. A blend of primarily Nero d'Avola, Petit Verdot, Syrah from the families Contessa Entellina Estate in Southwestern Sicily. Aged 14 months in new French oak barriques and then in the bottle for at least 24 months. Meaning “A thousand and one nights” Mille e una Notte is a dream!

The palace illustrated on the label is the palace where Queen Maria Carolina took refuge when she was on the run from Naples, the house loved by the writer Tomasi di Lampedusa. Gabriella captures the image and fixes it in a sky of a "Thousand and One Nights". A tribute to the masterpiece of oriental literature capable of telling a thousand and one fairy tales.

Estate

Donnafugata Winery is one of Italy’s finest wineries and praised by wine critics and wine lovers alike all over the globe. Located in Sicily, Donnafugata has various estates including the historic cellar in Marsala, the beautiful Contessa Entellina country house and vineyards in the western interior of the island, and another winery and estate in the windswept island of Pantelleria off Sicily’s southwest coast. The Rallo family who owns Donnafugata have been in the wine business for over a century and the current generation is extremely dynamic and visionary. The Donnafugata brand was born in the early 1980s by Giacomo and Gabriella Rallo in the family’s historic cellars and today their children José and Antonio play prominent roles in the company.

Vineyard

VSP (Vertical Shoot Positioning) training with spurred cordon pruning, leaving 6 to 8 buds per plant. Planting density of 4,500 to 6,00 plants per hectare (1,822-2,429 an acre) and yields of about 4 tons (1.6 tons per acre); about 0.8 kg per plant.

Food pairing

Great with slow-cooked rack of lamb, pappardelle with pork ragout and roasts.

Harvest

Manual harvesting of the grapes takes place into small crates with careful selection of the grapes in the vineyard. The harvest began during the first week of September with the Nero d'Avola and Syrah and concluded in the third week with the Petit Verdot.

Vinification

A further selection is carried out in the cellar, thanks to a latest generation destemmer, able to discard the green and overripe berries that might still be on the clusters. Fermentation in stainless steel and maceration on the skins for 12 days at temperature of 26-30 C (79-86 F). Ageing for 14 months in new French oak barriques and then in the bottle for at least 36 months.

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