Feudo Montoni

Sicily, Italy Feudo Montoni is one of Sicily’s most historical producers of Nero d’Avola. The estate dates back to the XVI century, when the prized ‘Vrucara’ single-vineyard was first planted in the Contea di Sclafani area (a steep 650 meters above sea level). The resulting wines were immediately noted by Andrea Bacci, the Vatican’s court official sommelier, in his ‘De Naturali Vinorum Historia’. The estate is still extremely proud of this fact. Ever since the foundation of the estate the Sireci family has been tending vines and reproducing by massale selection from their own exclusive clone of Nero d’Avola. Rather than order clones form nearby nurseries, massale selection keeps the integrity of the vines unique to the estate. Completely surrounded by grain and cattle and therefore thoroughly preserved from genetic contamination, the ‘Vrucara’ clone of Nero d’Avola has developed its own distinct identity over the centuries, to deliver us today a unique, extreme rendition of all-authentic, utterly spicy Nero d’Avola. At 650 meters altitude, Feudo Montoni stands out as the highest vine-site Sicily-wide for Nero d’Avola. Intense sunshine combined with cool nights and sandy-clayey soils rich in limestone and iron make for a perfect terroir where to grow Nero d’Avola. Grapes ripen slower and later but more evenly here. Harvest time falls around mid October, 2 weeks later than the rest of Sicily, but the family’s resulting Nero d’Avola possesses ripeness and depth as well as good acidity and ever-moderate alcohol.