Montecillo Gran Reserva

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In the glass

Aroma: dried cherry, tobacco, cedar, balsamic, spice

Palate: red fruit, leather, fine tannin, savoury

One of the oldest houses' classical Gran Reserva: long-aged, savoury and elegant, a traditional Rioja with a strong track record.

What it pairs with

• Cordero asado al sarmiento Vine-shoot-roasted suckling lamb is the canonical Rioja match; the wine's resolved tannins frame the sweet fat.More wines for lamb →
• Chuleton de buey a la brasa A thick aged-beef chop over embers meets the wine's savoury oak and grip.More wines for steak →Find chuleton de buey a la brasa on TableJourney →
• Jamon iberico Cured Iberian ham echoes the wine's dried-cherry and leather register.More wines for ham →

With cheese

Queso Camerano Our pick Two years or more in oak and long bottle ageing make Gran Reserva Rioja mature and complex, medium in tannin and high in acidity; curado Camerano, hard, salty and faintly bitter with wild-herb notes, meets that depth, and the acidity cuts its fat.

How to serve Montecillo Gran Reserva

Allow 65 minutes from open to pour.

1. Open and decant. Open 60 minutes before serving and pour into a decanter to aerate.
2. Serve at 14-16°C. Cellar temperature (14-16°C) is the band for this style. Warmer pushes alcohol forward; colder dampens aromatics.
3. Glassware. Use a Burgundy bowl with a wide opening: the bowl shape rewards the wine's structure.
4. Pair with. Cordero asado al sarmiento, Chuleton de buey a la brasa, Jamon iberico. Match the wine's structure to the dish's fat and salt.

History

Montecillo, founded in 1874, makes a classical long-aged Gran Reserva.

1. 1874Bodegas Montecillo founded

Facts

Producer

Bodegas Montecillo · visiting guide

Grapes

Tempranillo (90%), Graciano (10%)

Classification

DOCa Rioja

Oak

Around 24 months in oak, then long bottle ageing

ABV

13.5%

Price

EUR 16 to 28 at retail

Drinking window

6 to 20 from vintage

First vintage

1874

Frequently asked about Montecillo Gran Reserva

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