PRODUCTION ZONE: south-western Sicily, Contessa Entellina Estate, and nearby areas.
DENOMINATION: Red Sicilia DOC.
GRAPES: Nero d’Avola, Petit Verdot, Syrah and other grapes.
TERRAINS & CLIMATE: altitude from 200 to 400 m m.a.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 (1,800-2,400 an acre) and yields of about 4-5 tons per hectare (1.6-2 tons an acre).
VINTAGE: in Contessa Entellina after two slightly rainier years, in 2018 743 mm of rainfall were recorded, a figure that is above the average of 667 mm* of this territory. Most of the rainfall was distributed in spring; only in some plots there have been precipitations in the summer. The integrated management of agronomic practices, from pruning to thinning to the choice of different harvesting moments, inspired by an eco-sustainable viticulture, has allowed us to have healthy and well-ripened grapes. * Precipitation data are collected by SIAS, Sicilian Agrometeorological Service; the rainfall recorded from October 1st to September 30th of the following year is taken into account; the average is calculated starting from the 2003 harvest.
HARVESTING: manual harvesting of grapes into crates with careful selection of the grapes in the vineyard. The harvest of the grapes destined Mille e una Notte began at the end of August with the Syrah harvest and ended in the first decade of September with the collection of Nero d’Avola and 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 a temperature of 26 – 30° C (79 -86° F). Ageing for 13-14 months in new french oak barriques and then in the bottle for at least 24 months.
ANALYSIS DATA: alcohol 13.80 % vol., total acidity: 6.2 g/l., pH: 3.67.
TASTING NOTES (Nov. 02, 2021): With an intense ruby red color, Mille e Una Notte 2018 presents a complex bouquet characterized by notes of red (cherry) and black (blackberry) fruits, fresh balsamic (eucalyptus) and spicy hints (black pepper) augmented by delicate nuances of vanilla. On the palate it is soft and enveloping, with great structure and tannins are mature and refined. It ends with a notable persistence.
AGING POTENTIAL: over 20 years.
FOOD & WINE: excellent with roast and braised meat, first courses with ragù sauce and rack of lamb. Try it with tasty dishes of stewed fish. 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).
COLLECTION: Icon Wines Great wines with unique personalities. When you desire to make an exclusive and memorable experience. Enjoy unique, enduring sensations. Enhance your collection with inimitable, age-worthy wines. Give a precious gift.
DIALOGUE WITH ART: the palace shown on the label is the one where Queen Maria Carolina took refuge fleeing from Naples and was the favorite house of the writer Tomasi di Lampedusa in Santa Margherita Belice. Gabriella Anca Rallo – founder of Donnafugata, with her husband Giacomo – captures the image and embeds it into the sky from “Arabian Nights”, full of stars and full of promise. A tribute to the passionate masterpiece of oriental literature, capable of telling thousand and one stories.
FIRST VINTAGE: 1995.