Tancredi, Donnafugata

TANCREDI

Type

Red - Sicilia I.G.P.

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d'Avola; Tannat and other varieties finalize the blend

Production area

South-western Sicily, Contessa Entellina Estate and nearby areas

Altitude

200 to 600 m AMSL

Orography

hilly

Soils

Clayey with a sub-alkaline reaction (pH 7.5 to 8). Total limestone from 20 to 35%. Rich in nutritive elements (potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc)

VINEYARD

Training and pruning

VSP (vertical shoot positioning), with wooden stakes and stainless steel wires; cordon spur training, leaving 6 to 8 buds per plant

Planting densities

4,500 to 6,000 plants per hectare (1,822-2,429 an acre)

Yield per hectare

about 5 tons (2 tons an acre)

Vintage 2008

compared to seasonal average, 2008 was a less rainy year, temperatures were slightly higher but without excessive peaks, while temperature ranges were large between day and night. Healthy and perfectly mature grapes, from an aromatic and phenolic point of view, were the premise for a great elegance and balance

CELLAR

Fermentation

in stainless steel with maceration on the skins for about 12 days at a temperature of 26 - 30° C (79 -86° F)

Aging

after malolactic fermentation, the wine ages for about 14 months in new and old French oak barriques and tonneaux and then fined in the bottle for about 24 months

Analysis data

alcohol 13.35% ABV, total acidity 6.0 g/l, pH 3.53

TASTING NOTES

Description

Tancredi 2008 confirms the quality and elegance acknowledged by its admirers in the Italian panorama of great red wines. Cabernet Sauvignon still brings great elegance and longevity, thanks to firm and velvety tannins. Nero d’Avola maintains its importance and stands out with fruity (cherry and sour cherry) and spicy notes. Tannat enhances the fruity component while adding a great polyphenolic structure rich in tannins: a variety ideal for long-ageing wines

Aging potential

over 10 years

THE WINE EXPERIENCE

Food & wine

it will find its best pairing with red grilled or oven-baked meats, game and aged cheeses. 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)

Occasions

Tancredi is the perfect partner while reading a book or listening to music. We also recommend it for business lunches

Art & wine

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. The label refers to the wineries at Contessa Entellina but they are placed on a cloud as in a mirage, as in "Viaggio a Donnafugata," composed by Nino Rota for Visconti

First vintage

1990

FOCUS ON THE NEW BLEND

Tannat, originally grown in South-Western France, has been cultivated in Italy for decades and in Sicily since the 1990s: a variety characterized by its rich color and excellent adaptability to Mediterranean climates.

Donnafugata planted Tannat experimentally in 2002 and, since 2004, the variety has been cultivated in the hilly Predicatore area (Santa Margherita del Belice), where the soils are medium-texture (not particularly clayey) and suitable to enhance this grape variety characteristics.

The choice of Tannat in Tancredi’s blend is a result of its kind of tannins merging perfectly with those of Cabernet Sauvignon, more sensitive to climatic trends in a phenolic ripeness point of view. Every now and then, the best selection of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes will be blended with Tannat and other varieties.

Cabernet Sauvignon brings great elegance and longevity to Tancredi, due to firm and velvety tannins, result of a perfect phenolic ripeness.

Nero d’Avola maintains its importance and stands out with fruity (cherry and sour cherry) and spicy notes with very soft tannins on the palate.

Tancredi 2008 displays complexity and elegance as in its best vintages