DENOMINATION: Rosso – Terre Siciliane IGT
GRAPES: Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d’Avola; Tannat and other varieties finalize the blend

PRODUCTIONZONE: South-western Sicily, Contessa Entellina Estate and nearby areas.
TERRAINS & CLIMATE: altitude from 200 to 400 m a.m.s.l. (656- 1,312 ft); hilly orography; clay loam soils with a sub-alkaline reaction (pH 7.5 to 7.9) rich in nutritive elements (potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc) and total limestone from 20 to 35%. Mild winters with little rainfall. Warm, dry, ventilated summers. Substantial differences between day and night-time temperatures.
VINEYARD: VSP (Vertical Shoot Positioning) training with spurred cordon pruning g, leaving 6 to 8 buds per plant. Planting density of 4,500 to 6,000 plants per hectare (1,822-2,429 an acre) and yields of 5 – 6 tons/ha (2 – 2.4 tons an acre).
VINTAGE: At Contessa Entellina in the year 2017, 555 mm of rain was recorded, a figure that is slightly below the average*(661 mm) of this territory. Since rainfall was mainly concentrated in autumn and winter, during the summer months of June and July, we intervened with emergency irrigation. Thus the vineyards were able to complete the vegetation-production cycle in a regular manner. Regarding temperatures, between July and August, values were higher than seasonal averages and this resulted in the ripening of all the varieties cultivated in the area 1-2 weeks earlier than usual. Despite the peak temperatures, in this period of the summer, good temperature ranges between day and night have given healthy grapes with an excellent aromatic and phenolic maturation. Furthermore, there was a
quantitative decrease of about 15% compared to the company average. Thanks to a careful management of agronomic practices and vinifications, the quality of the vintage is positive: the ideal phenolic ripeness given reds of great elegance. (*VINTAGE: in Contessa Entellina we consider the period from October 1 to September 30;

RAINFALL: average obtained from SIAS, (Sicilian Agrometeorological Service), the average is calculated at Contessa Entellina from the harvest 2003).
HARVESTING: manual harvesting of grapes into crates with careful selection of the grapes in the vineyard. The harvest of the grapes destined for Tancredi began with Nero d’Avola during the last decade of August followed by Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon in the first decade of September.
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 14 days at a temperature of 28 – 30° C (79 -86° F). Ageing for 13-14 months in new and old French oak barriques and then in the bottle for at least 14 months.
ANALYSISDATA: alcol 13.66 % vol., acidità totale: 5.5 g/l., pH: 3.65
TASTING NOTES (12/02/2020): with an intense ruby red color, Tancredi 2017 combines notes of ripe red fruit (red currant and plum) and balsamic (eucalyptus) with delicate hints of cocoa and sweet tobacco. On the palate it has an excellent structure with important and perfectly integrated tannins; it is fresh on the palate with a very long retro-olfactory persistence.
AGINGPOTENTIAL: over 20 years.
FOOD&WINE: it will find its best pairing with a T-bone steak, gourmet burgers and game. Delicious also with beef Stroganoff with mushrooms. If served in large, big-bellied goblets it can be uncorked a few minutes before, otherwise a couple of hours earlier; excellent at 18°C (64° F).
WHENYOUDESIRE TO: Live a sophisticated, sensorial experience. Share your passion for elegant wines with great aging potential. Enjoy a moment of pure beauty.
DIALOGUE WITH ART: If you remember Alain Delon in the famous movie that Luchino Visconti made from Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s The Leopard, you will see that this wine reflects the elegance and ambition of that “revolutionary” man. With the vintage 2015, the labels offers a new illustration by artist Stefano Vitale who has dedicated this artwork to Giacomo Rallo, visionary captain of Donnafugata. The Contessa Entellina winery is always there, in the clouds as if it was a mirage: a magical place, where Giacomo began the Donnafugata adventure with his wife Gabriella, and where some of the vineyards that contribute to the Tancredi blend are located. Places where the memory of the man and his dreams, which became reality, will remain indelible.
FIRST VINTAGE: 1990