91 points

2019 Donnafugata Rosa Dolce&Gabbana

James Suckling, James Suckling, December 2020

“Pale rose-gold color. This is a creamy, medium-bodied rosé with layers of strawberry compote, cherry blossom and grapefruit zest on the nose and palate. Dry and crisp with red-apple and nutmeg notes, too. More like a light red. Nerello mascalese and nocera. Drink now.”

91 points

2021 Donnafugata Rosa Dolce&Gabbana

Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2022

“With a pretty, pale pink color and sweetly scented nose, the 2021 Rosa Dolce & Gabbana mades a lovely first impression. Ripe melon, Asian pear, mint and nuances of white smoke create an inviting bouquet. It’s round and elegant in feel, engulfing the palate in mineral-tinged orchard fruits and hints of chamomile. A salty flourish emerges through the finale, as notes of sour citrus and inner wet stone slowly fade. This is a total pleasure to taste. ”

91 points

2017 Donnafugata Sul Vulcano Etna Rosso

Stephanie Johnson, Wine & Spirits, October 2020

“Year's Best Etna Wines. This lively nerello mascalese offers flavors of crunchy red berries that mingle with notes of blood orange and white smoke. Fine sandpapery tannins give shape to the bright red fruit and the wine finishes with pleasant herbal accents.”

90 points

2016 Donnafugata Fragore

Stephanie Johnson, Wine & Spirits, October 2020

“Year's Best Etna Wines. This wine rested for 14 months in French oak barrels (second and third use) that imparted notes of sweet resin, caramel and dark chocolate to the red plum and mixed berry flavors. Cellar it for a couple of years to allow these oak-driven flavors to integrate with the vibrant fruit.”

93 points

2016 Donnafugata Fragore

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, October 2019

“Here is a new and exciting wine from the folks at Donnafugata. The 2016 Etna Rosso Contrada Montelaguardia Fragore is a compact and mid-weight expression that opens to a pretty garnet color with dark ruby hues. The bouquet is redolent of wild berry and cassis, but you also get hints of wild rose, smoke, tar and volcanic smoke. As a first vintage of this wine from Etna, the folks at Donnafugata have hit the nail on the head. This is a great wine for a blackened tuna steak on the grill. Some 15,000 bottles were made.”

91 points

2017 Donnafugata Sul Vulcano Etna Rosso

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, October 2021

“The Donnafugata 2017 Etna Rosso Sul Vulcano is perfumed and floral with wild rose and pressed lavender. The wine's floral imprint is equal to its fruity impact. You get plenty of wild cherry and fresh plum. The tannins are tucked into the silky fiber of this mid-weight Nerello Mascalese wine. I would suggest a near to medium-term drinking window for this bottle from a warm vintage.”

93 points

2016 Donnafugata Fragore

Kerin O'Keefe, Wine Enthusiast, February 2019

91 points

2016 Donnafugata Sul Vulcano Etna Rosso

Kerin O'Keefe, Wine Enthusiast, February 2019

96 points

2016 Donnafugata Fragore

James Suckling, James Suckling, June 2019

“Orange peel, pure red plums, sour cherries, tangerines and a ton of lemons. Medium-to full-bodied with great density on the center palate, but really refreshing acidity to carry this through to a long finish. Very impressive and a new wine from this producer. Drink now or hold.”

93 points

2017 Donnafugata Sul Vulcano Etna Rosso

James Suckling, James Suckling, December 2020

“Aromas of dried cranberries and cherries interlace with crushed oyster shell, iron and volcanic ash. More ash and bitter berries on the palate. It’s medium-bodied with elegant, silky tannins and a complex, savory character. Better in two or three years. Try after 2022.”

94 points

2016 Donnafugata Fragore

Ian D'Agata, Vinous, August 2019

“Luminous deep red. Knockout nose offers tangy red fruits, minerals and porcini complicated by Oriental spices and broom. Conveys an impression of superb concentration but also of nonpareil refinement, boasting the uncanny combination of tactile presence and deep luscious pristine red fruit, aromatic herb and stony flavors. A wine of great length and potential with a penetrating steely quality and with lots of fruit lurking in the background. This is the first vintage of Donnafugata’s new top of the line Etna Rosso and it’s a beauty. It undoubtedly helps that the grapes come from the Montelaguardia contrada, one of the lesser known but terroir-wise, one of the of the very best Etna contradas of all.”

92 points

2016 Donnafugata Sul Vulcano Etna Rosso

Ian D'Agata, Vinous, August 2019

“Bright red; this is the perfect color of an authentic Etna Rosso blend. Spicy, perfumed nose of minerals and sour red cherry is lifted by floral notes. Clean, juicy redcurrant and pomegranate flavors have a tactile and saline bent. Very elegant and unlike any other reds made by Donnafugata, this is very lifted, vibrant and light on its feet. Very well done for a first time wine.”

90 points

2016 Donnafugata Fragore

Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator, October 2020

“A graceful red, round and well-knit, featuring a spicy, mineral-laced undertow and flavors of crushed cherry and cured tobacco. Fresh, with a touch of smoky mineral driving the lightly chewy finish. Drink now through 2026. 1,250 cases made, 50 cases imported.”

97+ points

2016 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili Riserva

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, September 2021

“Packaged in its distinctive red label, the 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Asili is a rich and profound wine with incredible depth and dimension. Bruna Giacosa skipped over the 2015 vintage because she felt that the fruit was not poised for long aging. From the 2014 vintage, we jump to this 2016 expression, a wine that Bruna says reminds her of the epic 2001 and 2004 vintages. She also loves the 2017 vintage, which I look forward to tasting next year. This wine is incredibly precise and sharp; however, the volume and generous fruit weight promises a long aging future. The aromas veer toward red berry, cherry and cassis, and the darker black fruit tones that you might expect are less prominent in the Asili. The wine majestically captures the elegance and the power of this iconic vintage. Production is 11,000 bottles, 1,500 magnums and 200 Jeroboams.”

96+ points

2016 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Rabajà

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, September 2021

“I tasted this wine next to the 2017 vintage, and the differences between the two growing seasons are remarkable. The 2017 expression is open, more accessible and singing from the glass. However, the Bruno Giacosa 2016 Barbaresco Rabajà is certainly more reserved and timid if tasted now. The wine opens to beautiful richness, saturation and concentration. There is plenty of dark fruit and bright cherry with ample textural richness that is followed by sweet tannins and an attractively tight or firm structure. Saline or mineral notes give the wine sharpness and added dimension. It has all its cards in place for long aging, and the wine most certainly needs more time in the bottle.”

95+ points

2015 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Rabajà

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, June 2019

“This beautiful wine was released in January and is on the market now. The 2015 Barbaresco Rabajà benefits from one more year in the bottle (compared to its peers) to show expressive and exuberant intensity. The bouquet delivers a special floral note that resembles lady's perfume of fragrant rose potpourri, but these ethereal tones only last for the first minute or two. After that, you get a solid core of dark fruit with blackberry and dried cherry. The wine is nicely contoured by firm tannins and lasting acidity. The Rabajà vineyard site measures only half a hectare, and 3,600 bottles are made each year as a result.”

98 points

2016 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche Riserva

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, September 2021

“The Bruno Giacosa 2016 Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche sees its fruit sourced from the oldest vines in the Falletto cru. This wine boasts all the signature touches of Serralunga d'Alba with the massive structure, density and the long aging potential that comes with Nebbiolo grown in this village. The wine spreads evenly over the palate, imparting its considerable fruit weight and generally leaving a big impact. This Barolo is really quite lovely and beautiful. The bouquet is fluid and ever-shifting, showing new sides with firm fruit, blackberry, smoke, rusty nail and mineral with every swirl of the glass. I visited this vineyard site shortly before tasting this wine and marveled at the beautiful peacocks that roam free between the rows of vines.”

97 points

2016 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, September 2021

“The Bruno Giacosa 2016 Barolo Falletto (white label) brings us another extraordinary expression from a classic vintage. Serralunga d'Alba fruit is full, generous and thickly layered in a manner that you always hope to encounter when lucky enough to drink pedigree Nebbiolo. There is enormous density here and power and grace; however, the Barolo Falletto is seemingly weightless and ever so delicate as it warms smoothly over the senses. Crisp cherry and blackberry are followed by delicate tones of crushed stone and iron ore. Bright tones of grilled herb and blue flower lift gently from the bouquet and add to the balanced intensity of this collectors' vintage.”

97 points

2014 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche Riserva

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, June 2019

“This red label Riserva was made in 2012 and 2014 and will be released in 2016 and 2017. Bruna Giacosa and her team skipped over 2013 and 2015. However, the current release is the 2014 Barolo Riserva Falletto Vigna Le Rocche, and well, there's a lot to take in. Simply put, this is a beautiful wine that unfolds slowly with amazing intensity and complexity, delivering delicate notes of violets and candied orange peel that cede softly to darker tones of licorice, dried blackberry and savory spice. Give the wine the time it needs to open in the glass. This vintage flaunts its most elegant side, with fine tannins and soft fruity fiber that remains everlasting and pure. This estate is known for taking its biggest chances in the so-called off vintages. Betting on 2014 has turned out to be a brilliantly contemplated move.”

97 points

2014 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili Riserva

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, June 2018

“Packaged in its distinctive red label (red is for Riserva), the 2014 Barbaresco Riserva Asili represents a tremendous effort in a challenging but ultimately very rewarding vintage. This wine will be released in February 2019. The previous edition was 2011, and Bruna Giacosa tells me that it will be produced in 2016 and possibly 2017—although this has not yet been officially confirmed. In a normal vintage, production is 11,000 bottles strong, but because of reduced yields in 2014 we can expect some 8,000 bottles instead. Growing conditions in 2014 were cause for concern up until the end of August because of humidity and below average temperatures. Those conditions changed suddenly in the nick of time, bringing strong sunshine and warmth during the final stage of grape ripening. Ultimately, 2014 proved to be a long growing season with healthy fruit in reduced volume. The Rabajà cru sometimes shows a harder edge with more mineral definition. Asili, in comparison, offers gorgeous intensity and profound depth. This Riserva shows seamless integration of wild fruit, blue flower, spice, balsam herb and pencil shaving. This is a complete and complex expression with an enduring sense of dimension and structure. I can’t wait to taste this wine one day in the far future when it is further along on its promising evolutionary track.”