Today I am tasting the widely available 2005 Bodegas Montecillo Rioja Crianza (affiliate link) from Rioja, Spain. This Tempranillo based wine was available for under $10 and comes with a real cork (watch out!). Being a crianza it is aged in oak barrels for more than one year and then kept another year in the bottle before release. Let’s see how it shows.
Color
In the glass it is a medium ruby red.
Aroma
Very old world on the nose which is nice. Black pepper, leather, cherry and a bit of oak. Quite complex.
Flavor
On the attack there is cherry which carries onto the mid-palate. The tannins show up fast and this gets quite dry too. Lots of oak on the finish along with a little vanilla. The finish is quite long. I also think this will age well due to the tannic structure. It will pair well with paella and even blackened fish.
Rating
For my palate this is showing too much oak on the finish. I’d prefer more of the fruit and earthiness of Rioja to show through. I rate it 85 points.
