($80, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  Mille e una Notte, Donnafugata’s flagship wine, is a tribute to Sicilian grape growing and winemaking.  The 2012 is simply gorgeous.  A masterful blend of Old World (Nero d’Avola) and New (Petit Verdot and Syrah) it conveys power and sophistication.  It’s a collection of paradoxes: intense, without being heavy; plush, but not soft.  There are no sharp edges, but the wine is edgy and exciting to drink.  A hint of tarriness and minerality merges seamlessly with dark fruit notes.  Gloriously long, it’s a joy to savor now with robust, but simple fare, which allows the complexity of the wine to shine.  That said, I suspect consumers who cellar it for a few years will be amply rewarded.
96 Michael Apstein Dec 19, 2017