Revisiting an absolutely luscious Saturday Splurge, the Donnafugata Tancredi.
A blend of primarily Nero d'Avola and Cabernet Sauvignon along with a little Tannat and other grapes from the Contessa Entellina estate in southwestern Sicily, Italy. The wine is aged for 12 months in new and old French barriques and then at least another 20 months in the bottle.
Sample submitted for review. The Donnafugata Tancredi Sicilia Rosso has an SRP of $40 (Saturday Splurge) but is available for as low as $30. It is imported by Folio Fine Wine Partners, The Michael Mondavi Family.
The jewel of this 160 year-old family winery, Tancredi has notes of licorice, cacao and black cherry. Pair with red meats, roast or braised, and game.
14% Alcohol
We're big fans of the wines of Donnafugata and Sicilian wine in general and were eagerly anticipating a planned trip to Sicily before a certain pandemic hit. Well, we all know how that has gone but at least we can still drink the wine! Today we revisit the latest vintage of this beauty.
The 2016 Donnafugata Tancredi begins with lovely, enticing aroma of red cherry, blackberry, blueberry, plum, spice, some minty wintergreen notes, leather and even a little earthiness. It's a lot to take in so take your time with this one!
Tasting the wine reveals more sweet and tart berries, but it doesn't stop there. Add in lots of licorice, well integrated spice, good balance and a silky and lush texture and this is shaping up to be an excellent wine.
It ends dry, long, grippy and a bit tannic and features more sweet and tart berries as well as lingering chocolate notes. It's still a tad young, so I'd recommend decanting it. As you would expect it held up just fine on day 2.
Ready to buy? Check your local retailers.
2016 Donnafugata Tancredi
Saturday Splurge
You can also find more of our Saturday Splurge selections here.