| Country: | Spain |
| Region: | Rioja |
| Winery: | Montebuena |
| Grape Type: | Tempranillo |
| Vintage: | 2021 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Importer Sale!
Produced from 100% Tempranillo grapes, which are hand harvested from the Montebuena vineyard.
Brilliant deep ruby red color, fruity aromas .
Montebuena Red has a spicy vanilla bouquet and is smooth and fruity in the mouth with some well-integrated secondary nuances, full-flavored and a persistent pleasant finish. Pairs well with beef & lamb dishes, stews & cheeses.
Review:
-Decanter 92 Points
-James Suckling 90 Points
-International Wine Review 91 Points
The Montebuena Estate
In the mid-1960s, 70% of the winegrowers (175 vintners) decided to join forces and found the Unión de Cosecheros of Labastida, which currently ranks as the largest co-operative winery in the Basque Country, with a production capacity of 7 million liters.
Right from the outset, these winegrowers wanted to be involved in the entire process, from cultivating vineyards to barrel-ageing wine to bottling. Towards this end, the co-op has established its own brands and striven to enhance its facilities, equipping them with the most modern equipment available, as with its stainless steel tanks, a cooling unit for regulating fermentation temperatures and new bottling plant.
The Montebuena Vineyards
The ageing of wines has always been one of this winery’s passions and primary concerns. At present, the co-op has 6,000 American oak casks in storage, with an average age of five years.
Tasting Notes
This Pinot Gris is filled with great fruit intensity of ginger spice and pear drop aromas, beautifully balanced with a smooth juicy finish. A wine to be enjoyed on any occasion.
Winemakers Notes
Following harvest the fruit was fermented in batches using a number of fermentation techniques, including barrel fermentation (10%), on skins fermentation (90%), and lees aging for five months. The resulting blend of these techniques has resulted in a rich and complex Pinot Gris with concentration and balance.
Alcohol %
13.5%
Food Matching
Chicken Tikka Masala or sticky sesame prawns with a spicy sauce.
Es Lo Que Hay Garnacha is made from 95% Garnacha, 5% Moristel, Miguel de Arco and Provechón (Bobal). 75 to 100 year old vines.
“ES LO QUE HAY - it is what it is. A common Spanish expression, but one I like to reserve for the few old high altitude Garnacha vineyards that survive in Aragon . What you taste in the bottle is a true expression of what there is in the vineyard. It´s as simple as that.”
High altitude ancient vineyards (75-100 years) at 1,000 to 1,100 meters above sea level with Pizarra slate and quartzite soils. Completely dry grown and unirrigated, this is an inhospitable continental climate with extreme changes of temperature where mountain herbs, almonds, cherry trees and Garnacha form a breathtaking patchwork. Low annual rainfall of 200-300mm and the remarkable soils produce fine and elegant Garnacha which is punctuated by intense black fruit flavors with complex mineral, smoke and garrigue notes.
Review:
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
-Luis Gutiérrez (Robert Parker) 93 Points
Riebeek Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
An exciting new world style wine with upfront blackcurrant flavors. The black fruit is well-balanced with subtle French oak for a complex nose and an elegant and lingering follow-through. An exceptional example of a lighter style Cabernet Sauvignon that can be enjoyed young. Excellent with red meat dishes or veal.
Cold soaked overnight. Inoculated with selected yeast. Fermentation temperature was between 24 -26 degrees Celsius. Regular pump-overs were given to enhance colour and flavour extraction. Different batches of wine matured with French oak staves and 2nd and 3rd fill barrels were all blended together to perfection.
Served at room temperature, this Cabernet Sauvignon pairs perfectly with red meat dishes, especially classic recipes like roasted leg of lam, grilled lamb chops and beef kebabs.
Riebeek Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 85% Cabernet Sauvignon,15 % Shiraz.
An exciting new world style wine with upfront blackcurrant flavors. The black fruit is well-balanced with subtle French oak for a complex nose and an elegant and lingering follow-through. An exceptional example of a lighter style Cabernet Sauvignon that can be enjoyed young. Excellent with red meat dishes or veal.
Lexicon Merlot is made from 100 percent Merlot.
Lexicon varietal wines are carefully selected by Fran Kysela to show the essence of each variety, along with its terroir of origin, both of which are essential elements of a good wine.
Sale price good on website only and wine must be shipped to your home.
Siegel Reserve Red Blend 1234 is made from 50% Syrah, 30% Carmenère, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot.
Deep ruby color. Intense aromas of black fruits, white pepper, spices and a hint of clove. The blend of four varieties gives a complex, deep wine with juicy tannins, good volume and very balanced.
Pre-fermenting cold maceration for five days, alcoholic fermentation at 26-28 C to obtain color and structure. Post fermentation maceration of two to three weeks according wine tasting and then the wine is separated from the skins. The wine ends its malolactic fermentation in tank. Harvest: by hand (30 day harvest window)
Paella, Confit de Canard (duck confit) and pastas.
Importer Sale!
Produced from 100% Tempranillo grapes, which are hand harvested from the Montebuena vineyard.
Brilliant deep ruby red color, fruity aromas .
Montebuena Red has a spicy vanilla bouquet and is smooth and fruity in the mouth with some well-integrated secondary nuances, full-flavored and a persistent pleasant finish. Pairs well with beef & lamb dishes, stews & cheeses.
Review:
-The Wine Know Log 90 Points
Aroma: Expressiv and elegant, the aroma is dominated by red fruits with subtle undertones of black fruits, floral notes, and a hint of wood.Color: Cherry red color, clean and bright. Taste: The palate is elegant, with a fruity freshness and silky tannins.
The grapes from San Vicente were aged for nine months in foudres and French oak barrels of different sizes, while the wine from Leza was refined for twelve months in French oak barrels. After blending, the wine was aged for five months in concrete tanks. For further protection the wine contains sulphites.
Review:
-James Suckling 92 Points
-Joaquín Hidalgo (Vinous) 92 Points
Aiurri Rioja is made from 80% Tempranillo, 15% Grenache, 5% Graciano.
Chalky, mineral and pure, with blood orange and blackberry fruit and scented oak. "Aroma: Complex and intense, where black fruits accompany spicy notes, highlighting black pepper and licorice. In the background, the notes of aging appear, with tones of dry tobacco and leaf litter. Taste: Powerful wine with good structure, but at the same time with notable freshness. It generates very pleasant and elegant tactile sensations. It is a wine where balance, concentration and sensations of fullness prevail. Color: Deep cherry color with a high layer."
Review:
-Tim ATKIN 94 Points
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
-James Suckling 92 Points
-Tim Atkin 93 Points
Aiurri Salas Rioja is made from 80% Tempranillo and 20% Field Blend
Aroma: Very expressive on the nose, with good complexity, red fruit and fresh black fruit, spices and wild herbs. Flavor: Combination of freshness and complexity. Pleasant tannins, lots of fruit, long finish with great persistence. Color: Black Cherry with a Violet rim.
Review:
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
-James Suckling 94 Points
-Tim Atkin 93 Points
-Joaquín Hidalgo (Vinous) 93 Points
Licenciado Rioja Reserva 2021 is made from Tempranillo.
This single-vineyard wine comes from the same site used to make the Gran Reserva. Licenciado shows a ruby-red color with outstanding aromas of wild berries, vanilla and spice. The palate is well-balanced, rounded and elegant, offering black pepper, ripe black fruit and vanilla; its freshness, oak aging and extraction give it a longevity of at least ten years from the harvest. Bottled in 1.5-liter magnums.
Best enjoyed with red meat and game.
"Spicy peppercorns, black cherries, plums and a touch of cocoa powder. Medium-bodied with firm, fine tannins and an extensive finish. Drink now or hold." - James Suckling, 90 pts
Review:
-James Suckling 90 Points
Luis Canas Rioja Crianza is made from 95% Tempranillo and 5% Garnacha
A classic style Rioja from one of the regions most enduring family run wineries.. The hillside terraced vineyards are sheltered by the Sierra Cantabria Mountains to the north from harsh weather extremes. Small plot production is utilized in this region of infertile chalky clay soil to produce clusters of excellent quality. Almost 900 plots are needed to complete the approximately 400 hectares of estate-owned or cellar-controlled vineyards, some with vines more than 100 years in age.
Tasting notes
Made from 95% Tempranillo, 5% Garnacha of 30 years of age, the wine shows a ruby red color, a clean nose with nuances of balsamic, plum and cedar. The palate is smooth and velvety, complex and structured, with fruit, spice flavors with toasted oak. A pleasant finish with red fruits and hints of eucalyptus.
The harvest
This year in Rioja Alavesa the weather has been especially cold, the summer short and dry, and there has been plenty of rain in early September. This has produced wines with great aromatic notes, particularly those coming from high altitude areas, very fragrant and with great structure.
Winemaking and aging
Upon entering the bodega and passing the selection table, the grapes are de-stemmed and crushed before undergoing fermentation and then maceration in stainless steel tanks for a total of 8 days, obtaining better color extraction as well as much more complex wines, suitable for prolonged aging. The wine is clarified with vegetable gelatines and follows anicrobic filtration.
It is ideal to pair with meats; red meat, poultry, small game, oily fish, semi-cured cheeses, spicy dishes and hot dishes such as beans or potatoes Rioja style.
After its primary fermentation, the wine is placed in barrels where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged for a minimum of 12 months. It is then bottled for at least another 12 months.
Review:
"Juicy Bing cherries, peppery herbs, leather, and cedarwood notes all emerge from the 2021 Rioja Crianza, a medium-bodied, concentrated, round, layered red that has supple tannins, beautiful fruit, and a great finish. This classic Rioja has tons to love."
- Jeb Dunnuck (Importer Highlight: Fran Kysela ; July 2024), 91 pts
-Decanter 93 Points
Resonance Decouverte Vineyard Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
The wine reflects a beautiful and brilliant garnet color, with an expressive and complex nose of strawberry, plum, wild cherry, almond and licorice. The wine reveals an elegant palate, vibrant and complex, with delicate notes of noble wood, and very long and mineral finale.
Review:
James Suckling 93 Points
Cavalier Dario Barbaresco 2022 is made from Nebbiolo.
The house's classic Barbaresco: 100% Nebbiolo from the Langhe, matured in wood in an approachable, food-friendly style. The estate describes it as deep ruby turning toward brick with age, with a linear, complex nose carrying spice and a lift of mint, and a palate that is rich yet gently tannic in youth, finishing dry and clean. 2022 was a warm, dry Piedmont vintage that gave rounder, earlier-drinking Nebbiolo — a Barbaresco to enjoy over the near and medium term with Piedmontese classics, roast meats and aged cheese.