2021 Rioja Crianza la Montesa
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Tasting notes
I had not yet tasted the 2021 La Montesa, and I'm glad I did. Álvaro Palacios was super proud of this vintage, and he told me that "many people consider it at the level of a very good Burgundy village at a fraction of the price!" It is indeed a great value, even more so in an exceptional year like 2021. But it was unmistakably Garnacha, with notes of garrigue and aromatic herbs, red cherries and flowers. It fermented with 20% full clusters in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in barrel for 12 months. It's clean and precise, with a lace texture, very fine tannins, flavors of red berries and herbs and a long, tasty, chalky finish. It has to be one of the finest vintages of Montesa to date. It has 14.3% alcohol, a pH of 3.5 and 5.3 grams of acidity. It's not a small cuvée; they produced 592,372 bottles! It was bottled in March 2023.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
95% Garnacha, 5% others. La Montesa comes from three plots – Valtomelloso, Valfrío and Valviejo – planted in silty, alluvial soil at 550 m elevation. Organic viticulture. 50% stem inclusion. Spontaneous fermentation in stainless-steel vats. Aged in mix of new and used barrels (80% French and 20% American) for 12 months. Fined but not filtered. Gorgeous aromatic expression with notes of candied orange peel and sour cherries. It offers a lot of flavour, too: concentrated yet delicate red fruit, velvety tannins and a lovely smoky minerality. Such a charming wine. (FG)
The 2021 La Montesa is 95% Garnacha with a 5% blend of other red varieties, sourced from the high-elevation vineyards of Monte Yerga in the Rioja Oriental. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, this purple-red wine presents reductive aromas of tangerine and sour cherry, along with a Cointreau-like perfume against a contrasting fine cedar layer. On the palate, it is dry, lean and vibrant, offering a joyful and cleansing mouthfeel that lingers on a cheerful finish. This is a Garnacha with flavor and flow.