Palacios Remondo, La Montesa Crianza, Rioja, Spain, 2017

Overview of the Wine
Alvaro Palacios has roots that run deep into the soil of Rioja. He was born into one the region's most prestigious winemaking families, the force behind Palacios Remondo, yet his interests have always been grander. Rather than slide simply into a position at the family winery, Alvaro decided to go out and do his own thing for a while. During the '80s he worked in Bordeaux with Jean-Pierre Moueix, then decided to purchase his own winery in Priorat where he worked avidly to help put that region on the map. During that time, Alvaro advocated for the lesser known wine regions of Spain, eventually coming back to the family winery in Rioja. Once home, he set to work using his experiences elsewhere to get the business back on track, while at the same time rethinking exactly what Rioja is about. Today he's considered one of the region's forward-thinking leaders. There's a reason Alvaro Palacios was named Decanter magazine's "man of the year" for 2015. He's completely reimagined what it takes to make top quality Rioja, with the goal of maximizing terroir, cutting back on oak, and showing respect for the land. As a result, the wines from Palacios Remondo have become brighter, livelier, and more expressive since his return, but the best is still yet to come.

Grape / Blend
92% Garnacha, 8% Other red grapes

Origin
Spain

Tasting Notes
Juicy and lush, with notes of cherry, raspberry and orange peel that meld with Mediterranean herbal undertones to create a wine that is balanced, bright and lively.

94 Points - T.Atkin
One of Álavaro Palacios' great achievements is to make wines of this quality in comparatively large (656,000 bottles) quantities. This blend of Garnacha with 2.8% Monastell is elegant, refined and stylishly oaked with pure red fruits, rose petal undertones and the racy acidity of the best mountain Garnachas. 2020-26

92 - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 
The 2017 La Montesa is mostly Garnacha with some 8% other red varieties and comes from a warm and dry year that saw a very early harvest, up to 20 days earlier than usual. It fermented in stainless steel and matured in barrique for 12 months. It feels very Mediterranean, with notes of Mediterranean herbs and ripe berries. It's juicy and lush, round and very pleasant, easy to drink. 670,000 bottles produced and will be labeled organic, very remarkable for such volume. It was bottled in May 2019.

Product size: 750ml