Monteleone 2023 Etna Rosso Rumex 750mL

We love all the wine we sell at Vino Cammino, but this one's extra special. Just promise us you'll put it away for a few years before you open it (5 years from the vintage is about right to get started). 

The proprietor, Giulia Monteleone, doesn't know how old this vineyard is. But it's more than a century. On its original rootstock, it's a survivor of phylloxera which sees most of Europe's vines now on phylloxera resistant American rootstock. So if you don't know when a vineyard was planted, how can you date it at all? Well, we know that it survived the eruption of Etna in 1911; it's now surrounded by cooled lava flows that mercifully split and travelled down each side of it. So let's say it's at least 115 years old (in 2026).

The name Rumex comes from the flower on the label, which, along with the namesake of Monteleone's top Bianco, Anthemis, is the first plant to bring life to the soil after a lava flow.

The nose has cherry, cranberry, cedar and a herby note that two tasters couldn't agree on (our argument was between oregano and celery leaf). A hint of coconut surprised us given the use of French rather than American oak. How curious. This is a wonderful wine but it feels a bit tight on the palate when tasted in early 2026 so we're looking forward to trying again over the next few years.

Harvested by hand in the early morning to maximise freshness of the fruit. Ageing is in French oak tonneaux for 16 months, followed by 2 months in concrete, and a final 6 months in bottle before release.

Open it with a special meal and a red meat hero.