The New Icons of Rioja That Whisper Over 150 Years of Wisdom Into Your Glass

Bodegas Montecillo —the first winery in Fuenmayor in DOCa Rioja—is thrilled to launch the Viña Monty range , comprised of three ultra-premium wines in the U.S. market. The icon Viña Monty brand whose history dates back to 1870 revived its mythical 1975 Gran Reserva that brought both the winery and Rioja critical acclaim, and launched three new wines to honor the winery's 150th anniversary in 2020. Among the historical bodegas centenarias (100 year old wineries) of Rioja , Bodegas Montecillo continues to advocate for innovation that is respectful of the past with eyes to a strong future.

The Viña Monty Gran Reserva 1975 is world-renowned for making headlines and securing first place in the 1983 blind tasting of wines from Rioja and Bordeaux in Amsterdam. Thanks to the award-winning wine, Bodegas Montecillo and Rioja received widespread recognition of quality around the globe.

Winemaker Mercedes García Rupérez and her technical team have spent eight years investigating the vineyards to launch the three exclusive Viña Monty wines. During this time, she sought unique grapes that would reveal a different side to Bodegas Montecillo, offering a more complex and premium range. The final selection consists of exceptional parcels vinified and studied separately: two parcels of Graciano, one located in Cenicero, Rioja Alta, and Rioja Oriental, two parcels of Garnacha in Huércanos and Arenzana, and one parcel of 85-year-old vine Viura from Sotés.

“ We are thrilled to bring this iconic range that honors the authentic style and philosophy of winemaking at Bodegas Montecillo in honor of the founder’s grandson, José Luis Navajas ,” says Bodegas Montecillo Winemaker, García Rupérez. “ The three Viña Monty wines reveal Rioja potential to go beyond Tempranillo–we expect the U.S. consumers to be impressed with the complexity and elegance of these three very diverse native Spanish grapes that may be new to their palates ”.

The Viña Monty Range:

• ● Viña Monty Viura 2018 (SRP:$90): The Viura grapes are selected from 85-year-old vines from vineyards in a special plot located in Sotés, Rioja Alta. The wine offers rich aromas of ripe pear, patisserie, vanilla and sweet quince. This lemon-colored wine is expressive, fresh and crisp with very subtle tannins and tremendously well-balanced acidity that cuts right through the buery texture.
• ● Viña Monty Graciano 2016 (SRP: $90): A vibrant cherry-red wine with aromatic layers of resinous fennel and exotic black licorice spice. It has a firm entry on the palate and is extremely broad with mineral, resinous and black fruit flavors followed by succulent tannins. The Graciano grapes are sourced from two plots in Cenicero, Rioja Alta and Rioja Oriental, near a meander of the Ebro River. This year, the Viña Monty Graciano received an outstanding score of 97 points by Decanter.
• ● Viña Monty Garnacha 2016 (SRP: $90): The wine brims with fresh aromas of ripe red fruits, complemented by hints of vanilla and cocoa with a lingering aftertaste of ripe fruit flavors. Sourced from 80-year-old vines in Arenzana in Rioja Alta, the high altitude gives the blend sublime acidity and elegance harmonized with grapes from Rioja Oriental that add vivid color, silky tannins and alcohol to the red wine of medium intensity. This year the Viña Monty Graciano received an outstanding score of 95 points by Decanter.

Click here to purchase bottles of these new Icons of Rioja .