Winemaker Notes
Montecillo wines are crafted to enjoy a long bottle life; they continue bottle ageing longer than those from other wineries in the region.
Ideal when matched to strong-flavored dishes or tapas; also with finger food or on its own.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
One of my favorite mealtime red wines is Tempranillo and when it is simply made to be straightforward and less complicated than many Crianzas in the marketplace, then I am a happy camper. The 2011 Montecillo Crianza is bright, fruity and charming. Medium ruby color; lots of pretty fruit in the nose, a hint of earth, fine depth; medium bodied, frisky and lively on the palate; dry, bright acidity, well balanced; brisk red fruit flavors, with a hint of rustic earth; medium finish, perky minerality in the aftertaste. (Tasted: May 12, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.