Fragore - 2016
Donnafugata
3.50 / 5.0
- Type
- red still, dry
- Region
- Etna DOC, Italy
- Producer
- Donnafugata
- Vintage
- 2016
- Grapes
- Nerello Mascalese
- Alcohol
- 14.5
- Sugar
- 3
- Price
- 1697 UAH
- Cellar
- not available
Etna Rosso DOC - Contrada Montelaguardia.
Fermentation in stainless steel with maceration on the skins for 10-12 days at a temperature of 25 °C. Aging in French oak (second and third passage barriques) for 14 months and then at least 10 months in bottle before release.
Aging in French oak (second and third passage barriques) for 14 months and then at least 10 months in bottle before release.
Donnafugata is “projected” towards the future, like an object launched into space, attracted by invisible gravities. Illustrator Stefano Vitale captures this perpetual motion perfectly in the latest label of Fragore that represents the volcano’s roar. Donnafugata continues its journey towards the most remote corners of Sicily: east to Vittoria and then up to the highest point on the island, on the Etna volcano.
Fragore 2016, pale ruby red coloured, presents an ample and profound bouquet featuring spices (sweet tobacco and nutmeg), floral notes (violet) and wild berries merging with mineral (flint stone) and balsamic notes. On the palate it reveals extraordinary complexity and elegance characterized by outstanding minerality and important tannins. Remarkable long finish.
Donnafugata
Ratings
3.50 / 5.0·750 ml
Nerello Mascalese by Donnafugata! Their first 'iconic' wine from Etna. This time I decided to try new tasting format, where I write down notes every 30 minutes to carve development of a single wine over the evening.
TL;DR - I got a slightly faulty bottle :-P So it got only 3.5/5.
t + 0m: Unfortunately, strong aroma of slightly burnt rubber, which sounds like mercaptan to me. Notes of cherry and crushed gravel try to get free, but with no avail. Going to wait for 30 minutes. I would rate it 3.0 at this point.
t + 30m: Alright, the unpleasant odor is mostly gone, but I still suspect to have a faulty bottle. Now it opens with cherry, flint stone, violets, sweet tobacco. Some balsamic notes. Flavours of wild berries and nutmeg. I hear people saying how extraordinary and elegant the palate is, but in my sense it lacks balance. Abv here is too aggressive. I would rate it 3.2 at this point.
t + 60m: Pretty much the same as 30 minutes before, but the faulty odor is gone. I like the long and evolving aftertaste, but I find little enjoyment in overly ethanol-ic finish. I would rate it 3.2 at this point.
t + 90m: Now it became more elegant and pleasant. Barberry candy, violets, sweet tobacco and flint stone. Flavourful, with long and evolving aftertaste. It is still not as balanced as I would love it to be, so I would rate it 3.5 at this point.
So overall, this was a very strange experience. I am happy to try this format as it shows that patience is important (sometimes). Going to repeat this with other bottle.