

Donnafugata Tancredi
Terre Siciliane IGT, Sicilia
Tasting Notes
Deep ruby red, Tancredi 2016 is characterized by a fragrant bouquet with notes of mulberry and blueberry, layered with delicate notes of licorice and sweet tobacco. An elegant wine with structure, well-integrated tannin and a long finish.
Food Pairings
Try with T-bone steak, gourmet burgers and game. Also delicious with beef Stroganoff with mushrooms.
Technical Info
- DENOMINATION: Rosso – Terre Siciliane IGT
- GRAPES: Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d'Avola; Tannat and other varieties finalize the blend PRODUCTION ZONE: South-western Sicily, Contessa Entellina Estate and nearby areas.
- TERRAINS & CLIMATE: altitude from 200 to 600 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: The 2016 vintage was characterized by a fairly balanced climatic trend, marked by a mild spring and a summer without excessive peaks of heat, allowing the vineyard to continue the vegetative cycle in a balanced way. Overall, from 1 October 2015 to 30 September 2016, 590 mm of rainfall was recorded, a slightly lower figure compared to seasonal averages. Careful vineyard management allowed us to bring into the winery healthy and well-ripened grapes, a premise of quality, long-lived wines.
- 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 during the first decade of September followed by Nero d'Avola and Cabernet Sauvignon between the first and second 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 12 months in new and old French oak barriques and then in the bottle for at least 20 months.
- ANALYSIS DATA: alcohol 13.90 % ABV, total acidity 5.6 g/l, pH 3.64.
Tasting Notes
Deep ruby red, Tancredi 2015 is characterized by a fragrant bouquet with notes of red cherry and red plum, combined with delicate tertiary notes of sweet tobacco, chocolate and black pepper. An elegant, well-structured wine with a long finish.
Food Pairings
Try with T-bone steak, gourmet burgers and game. Also delicious with beef Stroganoff with mushrooms.
Technical Info
- GRAPES: Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d'Avola; Tannat and other varieties finalize the blend
- PRODUCTION ZONE: South-western Sicily, Contessa Entellina Estate and nearby areas.
- TERRAINS: altitude from 200 to 600 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%.
- 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 2015: Up to the end of June, the 2015 vintage was characterized by a climatic trend that was cooler and rainier than seasonal averages. Overall, from 1 October 2014to 30 September 2015, rainfall reached 763 mm compared to the 656 average of the last 10 years. In July the maximum temperatures recorded were higher than the average values for the period which favored the ripening process of the grapes. The considerable temperature fluctuations between day and night favored the concentration of aromatic precursors in the grapes.
- 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 during the first decade of September with Nero d'Avola and Cabernet Sauvignon and were concluded in the second decade with the harvest of Tannat.
- 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 28 - 30° C (79 -86° F). Ageing for 13 months in new and old French oak barriques and then in the bottle for at least 24 months.
- ANALYSIS DATA: alcohol 13.85 % ABV, total acidity 5.9g/l, pH 3.61.
Tasting Notes
Deep ruby red, Tancredi 2014 is characterized by a fragrant bouquet, notes of red fruit (cherry and cranberry) combined with floral scents (violet) and accompanied by delicate tertiary scents of sweet tobacco, cacao and spices (cloves and black pepper). In the mouth it offers a structure with important and well-integrated tannins. An enveloping and persistent finish.
Food Pairings
Try with fresh pasta (e.g. pappardelle) with pork ragout, slow-cooked rack of lamb, roasts or Tournedos Rossini.
Technical Info
- GRAPES: Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d'Avola; Tannat and other varieties finalize the blend
- PRODUCTION ZONE: South-western Sicily, Contessa Entellina Estate and nearby areas.
- TERRAINS: altitude from 200 to 600 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%.
- 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 2014: the 2014 vintage was characterized by a fairly balanced climatic trend, marked by a relatively mild winter and a cool, rainy spring. Overall, from 1 October 2013 to 30 September 2014, 620 mm of rainfall was recorded: a slightly lower figure compared to the average of the last 10 years, with rainfall concentrated in the spring months. July and August passed without excesses of heat and with an excellent temperature range between day and night, thus favoring the production of particularly fresh and balanced wines.
- 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 during the first decade of September with Nero d'Avola and were concluded in the second decade with the harvest of Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon.
- 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 28 - 30° C (79 -86° F). Ageing for 14 months in new and old French oak barriques and then in the bottle for at least 30 months.
- ANALYSIS DATA: alcohol 13.77 % ABV, total acidity 5.8 g/l, pH 3.61.
Tasting Notes
Deep red, Tancredi 2012 is characterized by a fragrant bouquet, notes of red fruit and dark berry fruit combined with scents of liquorice and sweet tobacco. In the mouth the tannins are soft and well integrated. An enveloping and persistent finish.
Food Pairings
It will find its best pairing with t-bone steak, gourmet burgers and game.
Technical Info
- GRAPES: Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d'Avola; Tannat and other varieties finalize the blend
- PRODUCTION ZONE: South-western Sicily, Contessa Entellina Estate and nearby areas.
- TERRAINS: altitude from 200 to 600 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%.
- VINEYARD: VSP (Vertical Shoot Positioning) training with spurred cordon pruning, 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 about 5 tons (2 tons an acre); about 0.9 kg per plant.
- VINTAGE 2012: the 2012 vintage was slightly warmer than the seasonal averages, although it was characterized by a normal climatic trend. The rainfall was concentrated in spring, but altogether in 2012 there was less rainfall than in the last 10 years (469 mm from 1 October 2011 to 30 September 2012), with yields that were slightly lower than average. A sunny harvest which allowed for the production of very healthy grapes, perfectly ripe from an aromatic and phenolic point of view.
- 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 during the first week of September with the Nero d'Avola and continued until the second week of September with the harvest of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat.
- 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 28 - 30° C (79 -86° F). Ageing for 14 months in new and old French oak barriques and then in the bottle for at least 30 months.
- ANALYSIS DATA: alcohol 13.66 % ABV, total acidity 6.6 g/l, pH 3.55.