Donnafugata "Lighea" Zibibbo Sicilia 2024 DOC
(Sicily, Italy) - [JS 92] [WE 90]

About the Winery:
Giacomo Rallo, the fourth generation of a family with over 170 years of experience in quality wine, founded Donnafugata in 1983 together with his wife Gabriella. Today, their children José and Antonio lead the company and a team of people focused on excellence.

In eastern Sicily, on the northern slope of Mount Etna, Donnafugata has 86 acres of vineyards with native grapes such as Carricante and Nerello Mascalese; in the territory of Vittoria DOC, the latest generation winery is surrounded by 103 acres of Nero d’Avola and Frappato.

About the Wine:
DIALOGUE WITH THE ART: "From the disheveled tresses the color of the sun, seawater flowed over the green, wide-open eyes." Thus Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa describes Lighea, the bewitching siren and principal figure in his novel. She has inspired the creation of a complex and innovative wine and an equally original label. "It was not easy to print this label", Gabriella (founder of Donnafugata, with her husband Giacomo) recalled, "and preserve the thousand shadings of colors of the island, painted in the original drawing."

Winemaking Notes:
Fermentation took place in stainless steel at a temperature of 14-16 °C. Aging in tanks for two months and at least three months in bottle before release.

Tasting Notes:
Lighea has a bright straw yellow color with greenish hues. The nose offers a rich and fragrant bouquet where the classic notes of orange blossom are combined with citrus hints (cedar and bergamot) and exotic fruit. On the palate the fruity and floral notes resurface accompanied by a marked freshness, with good persistence and a pleasant mineral finish.

Technical Info:
Grapes: Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria)
Alcohol: 12.98%
Total Acidity: 5.5 g/l
pH: 3.28

Ratings & Reviews

92 Points - James Suckling:
"An intense and aromatic wine based on the zibbibbo grape but made in an interesting dry style. The nose shows gooseberries, sour apricots, lemon peel and broom flowers. Smooth and round on the palate, with a light body, a silky texture and a polished finish with a bitter touch." (Mar 2025)

90 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"The Donnafugata Lighea keeps getting better in every sense. While reveling in how it's fresher, brighter, saltier and livelier than ever in this vintage, you also get to enjoy the sense of satisfaction that comes from choosing a wine with as delicate a tread on the environment as possible, thanks to a light-as-air bottle and ultra-sustainable packaging. Great value." - Danielle Callegari (Jul 2025)

Vinous Media (2023 Vintage):
"The 2023 Lighea is a lovely and refined dry Zibibbo. It wafts up with an exotic bouquet that blends tropical citrus and melon with minty herbs and candied lime. It’s soothingly round and perfumed within with a wave of ripe citrus fruits and cooling acidity, maintaining fantastic energy throughout. The 2023 tapers off with medium length and a spicy sensation, leaving hints of kiwi to linger on." - Eric Guido (Jun 2024)