Monteleone

Monteleone is a small, family-run winery, from a pair of passionate young vignerons, husband and wife team, Benedetto and Giulia Monteleone. Giulia has a background as a food and wine writer, while Benedetto is a trained Winemaker and Viticulturalist who studied at the prestigious Università di Enologia di San Michele all’Adige in Alto-Adige. Together they shared a dream of one day owning their own winery and after much research, in 2017 they found themselves the perfect property at the foot of Sicily’s Mount Etna, next to the Alcantara river.


The winery started with 2 hectares of vines on the North face of Mount Etna but has since expanded their operations and acquired an additional 5 hectares. On the Northern side of the volcano, they cultivate Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, and Carricante. These vineyards are located in two different areas: 5.5 hectares in Contrada Cuba and 0.5 hectares in Contrada Pontale Palino (very old pre-phylloxera vineyard). On the Eastern side, they have 1 hectare in a town called Sant’Alfio and this is planted with more Carricante. Despite no certification, since the beginning, they have farmed their vineyards organically, and have introduced a plethora of wildflowers as well as bees to encourage biodiversity and maintain their lands natural balance.


Fascinated by this unique terroir, the wild and rugged landscape, and complex volcanic soils, they vinify each site separately to highlight the distinct characteristics of these areas. Through thoughtful and precise winemaking, they make beautiful wines which possess a great deal of finesse and elegance. Committed and passionate about capturing the essence of Etna’s terroir in their wines, Benedetto and Giulia Monteleone are promising talents with great potential.

All wines by this producer (2)

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"Another newish Etna winery that is red-lava hot at the moment is Monteleone. It is owned by Giulia Monteleone, who makes wine with her talented husband Benedetto Alessandro. The Monteleone 2020 Etna Bianco is crystalline and bright in appearance with pinpoint aromas of lime, white peach, sea salt and flint stone. It's hard to resist the crisp and clean fruit profile offered by this wine. The Monteleone 2020 Etna Rosso is a beautiful wine that boasts aromas of wildflower, fennel, volcanic rock and tangy forest berry. These wines from Monteleone show enormous elegance and grace, and they also evoke the extreme surroundings of Etna." 92 points, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (June 2023)


(Etna Bianco 2022) Tre Bicchieri - Gambero Rosso 2024