2017 Donnafugata Ben Rye Passito Di Pantelleria Zibibbo (375 mL) Half-Bottle

Donnafugata’s Ben Ryé is as consistently stellar as it gets among sweet wines. Over the years, it’s collected a whole trophy room of 90+ scores and been called “one of Italy’s ten best sweet wines,” by Vinous. Even so, the 2017 stands out as phenomenal. With a prestigious Tre Bicchieri award and a 97-point score from the Decanter World Wine Awards, it’s a surefire winner from one of Sicily’s iconic estates.

The Ben Ryé was a mainstay on VP of Wine Eduardo Dingler’s wine programs across the globe, and it’s not hard to see why. In his effusive review, James Suckling called it “luscious, complex, and balanced wine,” while Decanter raved, “This is as good as it gets!”

Crafted from Zibibbo grapes (a member of the Muscat family) on the small Mediterranean island of Pantelleria, Ben Ryé is the culmination of extreme terroir and resilient vines, some of which are over a century old. This rugged and beautiful island has incredible volcanic soils, but they’re not easy to tend, requiring what Donnafugata calls “heroic viticulture.” Between its rough terrain and high winds, farming is a difficult and pricey endeavor. And the meticulous winemaking process requires hand-picking and 20 days of drying, reducing eight pounds of fresh grapes to just two pounds dried. 

But Donnafugata puts in the work, and even though the yields are low, the results are extraordinary. The Ben Ryé paints an aromatic landscape full of white nectarine, ginger, and lilacs. It’s grand and enchanting on the palate, showcasing Meyer lemon candy, honey, and spice deftly balanced by bright acidity. 

It’s this work ethic and small-production mindset that makes Donnafugata “one of Italy’s, not just Sicily’s, best wine estates,” according to Vinous. Their wines have garnered numerous 95+ scores in the pages of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Vinous, and Decanter and are perennially listed among Tre Bicchieri winners. 

That’s because nobody captures Sicily’s singular terroir quite like Donnafugata. Their wine lineup is dedicated to native grape varieties and encompasses the intricacies of Sicilian terroir, drawing from vineyards across the island in prime winemaking regions like Entellina, Vittoria, Etna, and Pantelleria. 

The Rallo family has been making Sicilian wine for more than 160 years, accumulating an unrivaled understanding of the island’s unique terroir and potential. Since Giacomo Rallo founded Donnafugata in 1983, the estate has been consistently “At the forefront of innovation and the development of Sicilian wine,” according to Vinous. They’ve been a leader in sustainable winemaking, and one of the first wineries to switch entirely to solar power. And they’ve shown a commitment to cultivating native biodiversity, further imbuing their wines with distinctiveness and complexity.