My first tasting of this festival occurred two weeks ago with Montecillo Rioja Gran Reserva Seleccion Especial and Gran Reserva releases dating back to 1981. Winery representative Pablo Pelaez started the tasting by giving a history of the property, which began production in 1874. The modern era for Montecillo started in 1973 when the estate was purchased by the Osborne family, the largest producer of Sherry and Brandy in Spain. With their control arrived Maria Martinez-Sanchez as winemaker, a post she holds to this day. Sanchez made the recommendation at that time to sell the wineries vineyards and purchase grapes on the open market each year. In most wine producing regions this would be very unusual but in Rioja it is more common than you might think. The nature of traditional wine making in the area is more about the aging and blending than the character of the soil where the grapes grow. This runs contrary to most European wine making where there is great emphasis on terroir, or the French concept that grapes derive flavor from the soil and area from which they grow.
The pictures are of the esteemed panel and then my place setting of 10 glasses. This Saturday I will be on the panel discussing Beringer Private Reserve so I will report back more next week.