monteleone - etna

Giulia Monteleone, a once wine blogger and journalist, decided to take the plunge and start her own winery in 2017. After falling in love with a pre-phylloxera parcel located on the Northern bank of Mount Etna, the idea of Montelone winery was born. 

Today, the winery is led by Giulia who takes care of the commercial side of affairs for the winery. Her boyfriend, Benedetto Alessandro serves as consulting enologist and winemaker. He draws upon years of experience, having worked with some of the most prestigious wineries in Sicily including our very own Case Alte. Last but not least, Giulia’s father, Enrico, is deeply involved at the vineyard and he lends a helping hand wherever he can. Together, these three form a relentless trio dedicated to showcasing the best Etna has to offer when it comes to wine. A simple taste of Monteleone’s wines and one can immediately understand their quality and pedigree. 

Located 500 metres above sea level and next to the Alcantara riverbed, the Monteleone estate is home to a unique microclimate. Moreover, the proximity of the estate to the Alcantara imparts an added layer of minerality and complexity to the wines. 

All of Monteleone’s wines are made from Native Sicilian varietals: Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Capuccio, and Carricante. Currently the estate owns two hectares of vineyards and has an annual production of 8,000 bottles. 

Volcanic soils, old vines, very low yields, minimalist intervention and careful winemaking all contribute to making the wines of Monteleone so unique. 

Monica Larner, famous wine critic at Wine Advocate describes the wines of Monteleone as, “graceful and delicate [in] personality [something] that you don’t always find in the wines made in this dark volcanic landscape.” We simply could not agree more. The wines of Monteleone possess a finesse and elegance that is reminiscent of great Barolos and grand cru Burgundies. 

Monteleone is the embodiment of true enological rarities from Sicily’s most prestigious appellation. We could not be happier to be the first to import Monteleone’s wines in Quebec.