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Viña Monty Graciano is Decanter's Best in Show 97pts

01 July 2024

We’re delighted to announce that Viña Monty Graciano 2016 from Bodegas Montecillo is the Decanter World Wine Awards 2024 ‘Best in Show’. It scored an outstanding 97 points in the competition making it one of Decanter’s Top 50 wines of the year out of over 18,000 entries!

Only seven other Spanish wines have ever been names ‘Best in Show’ and it is the first wine to be included in the Top 50 made from 100% Graciano.

The Decanter World Wine Awards jury said:

“The late-budding and late-ripening Graciano is, in our warming times, a variety of increasing significance in Rioja, so we shouldn’t be surprised that a pure-Graciano Rioja emerged for the first time in our Best In Show selection this year. No youngster, though: this 2016 Reserva wine shows just how well this sometimes forbidding variety can perform in Rioja, given a suitable site and some age. In the glass, you’d guess that the wine was at least five years younger than it is: it’s still an opaque black-red. The aromas are pure and fresh, reminiscent as much of plants as of fruits, while the only palpable sweetness comes from the wine’s 28 months in oak. On the palate, you’ll find the wine firm and almost stern, with ample tannin and a fresh fruit core reminiscent of blueberries and damsons; there’s some root spice, too. Definitely a food choice, showing Rioja’s terroir in an unusual and dramatic light.” -

Part of the premium Viña Monty range, the wine also recently received 95 points and a gold medal from the International Wine Challenge.

According to Mercedes García Rupérez, winemaker and technical director at Bodegas Montecillo, Viña Monty Graciano 2016 comes from an outstanding vintage which yielded aromatic wines with excellent phenolic maturity, giving depth and persistence. She said:

“Viña Monty Graciano 2016 represents elegance and power. This native Rioja grape variety gives off an overwhelming personality and is capable of adapting to even the most demanding palates. At Bodegas Montecillo we are proud to offer a wine like this, timeless and that reflects in its flavour the winery’s careful attention to detail, love and passion.”

Viña Monty Graciano 2016 is made from 100% Graciano grapes from two vineyards, one of them in Cenicero and the other in Rioja Oriental. The wine is aged for 28 months in semi-new French oak barrels and for over 18 months in bottle. The result is a is a deep ruby red wine that is elegant on the palate with notes of graphite, liquorice and blackberries, accompanied by a subtle touch of menthol. Full-bodied and with excellent structure, it is very well balanced.

The Viña Monty range from Bodegas Montecillo is one of the winery’s most iconic and historic brands and has been revived to commemorate its 150th anniversary. The line pays tribute to the iconic Viña Monty Gran Reserva 1975, which brought both Bodegas Montecillo and the Rioja region international critical acclaim after winning a blind tasting in Amsterdam.

Bodegas Montecillo launched three wines under the Viña Monty brand in 2020. The Viña Monty Garnacha also got a Gold medal and the Viura received a Silver at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

Contact your account manager to find out more, or email marketing@ehrmanns.co.uk

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