2022 Rioja Crianza la Montesa

Now bottled, the 2022 La Montesa is a wine I sampled unbottled last year, and it delivers all that the earlier tasting promised: superb quality at an unbeatable price. It displays a bright ruby color and an explosive Garnacha nose, with tons of red berry fruit, flowers and spring herbs and a touch of blood orange. It's Mediterranean with freshness, fleshy and juicy, with purity, clean, balanced, fine-boned and very approachable, with almost unnoticeable and elegant tannins. It has ripeness combined with elegance and high drinkability. 668,600 bottles produced, so it should be readily available, and it's a bargain! It was bottled in January 2024.