'Ethereal' 92 Pt (D, JS) Limited Edition Rioja

LIMITED EDITION WINE FROM THIRD OLDEST RIOJA WINERY

“Bodegas Montecillo’s roots are in Fuenmayor, one of the towns with the longest grape growing traditions in Rioja Alta that is surrounded by vines and close to the waters of a serene river, the majestic Ebro. Fuenmayor is set among the flat-topped hills of the region, and Montecillo, the name of the bodega, means 'little mountain,' in honor of the irregular topography of the Rioja vineyards. The winery was established in 1870 and is the third oldest winery in Rioja! It has been 100% family owned since the beginning... for over 100 years by the founding Navajas family and then nurtured by the Osborne family for nearly 50 years.

With a wealth of experience in winemaking, it’s no surprise that the 92 point 2016 Bodegas Montecillo Rioja Edición Limitada was also awarded a Silver at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards. This 'contemporary and timeless' wine is made from carefully selected Tempranillo and Graciano grapes, both ancestral varieties in Rioja, and each bottle is signed by chief winemaker Mercedes García. For $29.99, this is a very special Rioja that's 'very ethereal and textured,' says James Suckling. It spent over two years in barrel and two more years aging in bottle before release. It was certainly worth waiting for!” – Eduardo Bolaños, The Wine House

92 Points, Silver: “Warm aromas of vanilla and coconut oak with ripe blackberry and cherry fruits, black fruit and liquorice flavours and a long, spicy finish.” – Decanter World Wine Awards (June 2022)

92 Points: “Spicy with some black walnuts, dark plums, mineral, cherries and flowers. Juicy with an elegant expression of fruit on the palate. Firm and medium-bodied with a long, succulent finish. Very ethereal and textured. Drink now or hold.” –JamesSuckling.com (September 2022)

FROM THE WINERY

We take the greatest care in selecting the grapes to make Montecillo's most contemporary and at the same time, most timeless wine. Our Edición Limitada is an expression of eternal and authentic Rioja. It is the alliance of two ancestral varieties - Tempranillo and Graciano - offering forth an extraordinary wine of which we only produce 43,268 750ml bottles and 5,054 magnum bottles, each signed by our chief winemaker, Mercedes García.

VINTAGE
2016. Classifed as very good; recognized for its healthiness throughout the cycle and its slow maturation, with balanced degrees and mostly fresh wines. In our area the harvest took place on the last week of September with grapes of great phenolic concentration, ideal for the ageing.

GRAPE VARIETIES
75% Tempranillo and 25% Graciano

ORIGIN
D.O.Ca. Rioja estate that provides the Tempranillo grapes for this unique wine is located on one of the highest hills in Fuenma-yor. More than 40 years old, it is dry-farmed
and bush trained, with predominately sandy, pebbly soils. Light levels are high due to the altitude, helped by fresh breezes in summer. Graciano comes from the Rioja Baja, on
this occasion we select a high altitude estate with steep slopes in the Pradejón area for the lower alcohol levels it gives.

CRAFTING & AGEING
With approximately 15 days between the harvest of the two varieties, they were harvested by hand and fermented in small capacity stainless steel tanks with constant pumping-over. Malolactic fermentation in underground cement tanks. They were aged
separately in barrels of which 20% were 100% French oak (60% of them were new) and 80% mixed, for 20 months. After a final racking the final blend was made and they spent six more months as a "harmonious blend" in the barrel. This is followed by at least two years in bottle before release.

TASTING NOTES
Cherry red with a very blue rim and very deeply coloured.
Aroma and palate: Great intensity at a still glass. During oxygenation, notes of ripe black fruit mixed with chocolate and vanilla appear. On the palate it is strong, with a noble and silky tannin that covers the mouth. Black fruit reappears with memories of plum and toasted flavors with a very persistent sweet finish.

FOOD PAIRING
Red meat, game, well-cured charcuterie, gourmet dishes and haute cuisine.

Alcohol: 13.5% v/v
Residual sugar: 1.7 g/l
Acidity: 5.62 g/l
pH: 3.54l