Bodegas Montecillo is an evergreen Rioja producer, but before we dig into the why I have to make a personal yet a very new-yorker- statement. Even though there are wine experiences worldwide where producers showcase their wine to a select trade and media group, something else differs from your experience when you have it in New York. It is very new-yorker of me to say that there are wine experiences and New York Wine Experiences. Yet, it continues to amaze me how some producers excel at it.
Recently I experienced a memorable wine experience at the iconic newly yet anticipated Chef Jose Andres Nubeluz Rooftop. This rooftop has an elegant Gatsby era vibe because it’s velvety decorated with turquoise aesthetics, high ceilings, and big clear windows that allowed us to get inspired by the New York City views in the vibrant neighborhood of Nomad in Manhattan. Moreover, the cherry on top of the wine tasting in this unique place was indeed the Rioja Wine by Bodegas Montecillo, a historical house of Rioja with more than 150 years over their shoulders that is evolving into an evergreen wine Spanish Producer.
Nubeluz does not usually serve food. Instead, for this wine experience, delectable courses highlighted each wine’s versatility. During a cold but crisp February afternoon, the wine tasting of Bodegas Montecillo’s best wines- prime examples of Rioja traditional meets modern iconic wines and the elegant surprise of their 1973 vintage Rioja was a dream come true for any wine lover.
The wines tasted during the event
2. Reserva
3. Gran Reserva
5. 22 Barricas
6. Gran Reserva Selección Especial 2005
Bodegas Montecillo is an evergreen Rioja producer
We were hosted by their Chief Winemaker, Mercedes García Rupérez. During the tasting, Bodegas Montecillo revisited the past, present, and future of Rioja wines. They are striving to keep themselves evergreen, and by that, I mean they embrace tradition but also welcome new winemaking approaches. That is also reflected in their light evergreen, more like mint with hints of gold, the new primary color of the rebranded packaging and labels of Bodegas Montecillo, from Rioja.
Rioja might be one if not the most well-known regions of Spain, but it was very refreshing to find a historical producer to showcase ‘Vino de Autor’ kind of out-of-the-traditional Rioja blends and be led by a fierce woman.
These experiences leave you breathtaking and thinking for days or weeks about that experience, and the wines hard to delete those memories from the mind and heart of a wine lover. However, wine tastings like Bodega Montecillo in Nubeluz are a complete and unique wine experience. In other words, am I overly excited? Yes, maybe, but it takes me some days to process what I lived. With stunning views, thanks to Bodegas Montecillo from Rioja to New York.
