Viña Monty 1964 heads the podium with 100 points, becoming the second wine in two decades to receive the highest score.
Montecillo GRSE 1981 and Montecillo GRSE 2005, with 98 points and 96 points respectively, in the top 5 of the report.
Bodegas Montecillo becomes the leading protagonist of the Hudin Rioja Report 2024, published by the American wine journalist Miquel Hudin. To complete his report, Hudin toured the region during the first half of May, conducting blind tastings at the Control Board headquarters. He also visited different wineries in the region to get a broader view of the type of wines produced there, tasting a total of 300 wines.
Bodegas Montecillo returns to lead the podium of the report for the second consecutive year, after achieving the number one position with Montecillo Gran Reserva 2012 in 2023, this year and with a score of 100 out of 100, Viña Monty 1964 obtains the Top 1, being the second time that this qualification is awarded to a wine in two decades, in Miquel’s words “The 100 point score I have given Viña Monty is only the second time I have awarded it in almost two decades of reviewing Spanish wines, and it is something I reserve for wines of a truly unique caliber and at the moment of drinking them. “. In addition, two other wines from the winery, Montecillo GRSE 1981 with 98 points and Montecillo GRSE 2005 with 96, achieve second and fifth place within the report.
Viña Monty 1964 is characterized by notes of red fruits, tobacco, dark chocolate on truffle, toasted hazelnut and cigar leaf, combined with notes of dried herbs ranging from rosemary, sweet thyme and lemon verbena. About it, Hudin says “Exceptionally fine, layered red fruits with this textured tobacco, cocoa dust and fine powdery notes. Broken dark chocolate on top of truffle starts to emerge with burnt hazelnut, cigar paper, and a hanging pouch of dried herbs filled with rosemary and sweet thyme, along with lemon verbena. What delicacy on the palate, just gentle, crumbling red fruits with an endless finish to it and what seems like the ability to go even further in terms of aging if only it was re-corked.”
Montecillo Gran Reserva Selección Especial 1981 is in second place, with 98 points. It is a wine aged for 42 months in American and French oak barrels, with a medium toast that has been bottled for at least 15 years before consumption. It is characterized by notes of red fruits, leather, menthol, tobacco and a lovely peppery spice. Smooth and exceptionally long on the palate, the infinitely complex red fruits intertwine with its acidity.
In the fifth place, Montecillo Gran Reserva Selección Especial 2005, with 96 points. A full-bodied and powerful wine that was racked to begin a 62-month aging in extra fine-grain French oak barrels and, once it has reached its fullness, has been bottled for a minimum of 15 years before consumption. It stands out for its notes of red and black fruits, milk chocolate with a touch of orange blossom and some ripe herbaceous notes along with vanilla.
In addition to leading the top 5 of the report, Bodegas Montecillo achieves high scores in other references, highlighting: Montecillo Gran Reserva Selección Especial 1994 (95 points), Montecillo Gran Reserva Selección Especial 2001 (94 points), Montecillo Gran Reserva Selección Especial 1985 (93 points), Montecillo Edición Limitada 2017 (92 points) and Montecillo Edición Limitada Garnacha Blanca 2022 (91 points).
2024 has been a year full of awards for the winery, achieving great recognition both in this report and in two of the main prizes awarded in the sector: the Decanter World Wine Awards and the IWC Awards.