Recommendation: Quality wine at a bargain price.
Winery/Producer: Montecillo; Fuenmayor, Spain.
Grape Variety: Tempranillo.
Geographic Origin: Rioja, Spain.
Vintage: 2007.
Price: 9.99
Purchased From: Total Wine; Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Pared With: Red sauce pasta with chicken, Caesar salad, Italian bread topped with Parmesan cheese.
Tasting:
He said: very dark ruby red color. Exceptional fruity, with leather bouquet. Very intense cherry, plum and raspberry taste and a very dry fruity/smokey finish with hints of oak. This is one of vicki’s favorites and I actually think it’s getting better. The best bouquet we have had in weeks, outstanding full fruit taste and a long finish that stays on and on. This is our Rioja, quality wine at a bargain price. It’s an incredible value!!!
She said: This has been one of my favorite wines for several years, but we have neglected it lately. As soon as I got the first sniff and taste I regretted my neglect because it is robust and flavorful with hints of sweaty leather, firm tannins, and a pleasant dryness and acidity that lasts into the long finish. Outstanding in all ways and at $10 it is a bargain. Be sure to check the vintage; I like the 2007 better than the 2008.
Comments: A little more than a year ago we first tasted this Rioja and purchased five cases. We’re down to the last 4-5 bottles and have always looked forward to “our favorite bargain Rioja.”
(See also our tasting of the Montecillo Rioja Crianza 2008)