Winemaker Notes
Bright garnet red, with a noticeable purple rim. Nose with a very clear presence of ripe red fruit and stone fruits, such as cherry. After light aeration, traces of fruit jam appear, followed by sweet notes of coconut and patisserie. Silky on the palate, with sublime tannins from start to finish, and a richness of texture from the high glycerol content. Long and persistent, with clean and enjoyable fruit notes appearing again, followed by palate enveloping tannins.
Blend: 85% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha
Professional Ratings
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Montecillo Crianza is lively and enticing. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits aromas and flavors of black fruit and soft spices. Pair it with an old-fashioned, slow-cooked beef stew. (Tasted: March 7, 2022, 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.