Grapes of Spain

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
92	International Wine Report	Vivid dark and blue fruits evolve in the glass, as the stony character shines here. The aromatic range makes this difficult to put down. Round and generous on the mouth, the wine reveals a silky texture and lovely minerality. Wet stone, rose water, tangerine peel and red berry flavors persist on the palate. This beautiful wine should cellar marvelously for a decade. June 2018
91	Wine Review Online	If you don’t know much Spanish--or much about Spanish wines--Garnacha is the same variety as Grenache in French; Montaña translates to English as “mountain,” and these 40 year-old vines are all situated above 2,000 feet. This terrific wine displays a fresh fruit core of red berries with spicy, smoky accents and a hint of juiciness to balance its tannic grip. Battle Tested Bargains from Around the World Michael Franz, May 1, 2018
89	View from the Cellar	The Montaña bottling from Legado del Moncayo is made from forty year-old garnacha vines and aged in used French casks for seven months prior to bottling. The 2016 is a fine follow-up to the lovely 2015, though it seems just a touch riper, offering up a fine bouquet of baked raspberries and cherries, spiced meats, a touch of garrigue, coffee, pepper and a fine base of soil tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and robust in personality, with ripe tannins, plenty of spiciness, good soil signature and a long, complex finish. This is a superb value, though not quite as precise as the 2015 was showing at this stage a year ago. 2018-2030+. Issue #75 – May/June 2018
**	The Washington Post	Score: Stars (Excellent) Spain’s garnacha remains the source of some of the best bargains in red wines. This rich, intense version is made from 40-year-old vines grown on a mountainside. Enjoy this with meats from the grill or smoker. The Washington Post, May 4, 2018**

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Legado del Moncayo Garnacha Vendimia Seleccionada "Montaña" 2017

91 (I-WR) 91 (WRO) 91 (VM) 90 (WS) ** (WP)

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
91	International Wine Review	This 100% Garnacha is sourced from 40-60 year-old vines. Fermented with native yeast and aged 7 months in 100% used French oak, it is dark ruby in color and displays concentrated and very ripe and spicy dark red fruit flavors. It is rich and complex on the palate with thick extract and round tannins on the finish. "Spanish Wines of Value and Quality" - June 20, 2019
91	Wine Review Online	I love this wine, and I love it every year…and I know that I may be undercutting my “critical” credibility by writing that. But the truth is that this wine hits just the right balance points vintage after vintage. Sourced from a higher elevation vineyard site than Legado del Moncayo’s “regular” bottling, it shows more concentrated, gutsier fruit, with a more notable suggestion of a little wood influence. But then again, any wood influence is just “suggested,” and the fruit still stands at center stage--albeit with unusually good structure for a wine in this price category. The flavors recall both red and black cherries, with just a hint of spice and a subtle savory layer running beneath the fruit flavors. Whereas the “regular” Legado del Moncayo is suited to poultry or fish, this starts in terms of suitability at poultry and works its way up to pork, veal or duck…and would be entirely satisfying with a burger. Michael Franz - "Go with Garnacha for Thanksgiving" Nov. 19, 2018
91	Vinous Media	Youthful violet. Ripe red and blue fruit scents are complemented by suggestions of candied lavender, cola and five-spice powder. Juicy, nicely concentrated black raspberry and boysenberry flavors show very good depth, and mocha and white pepper notes come up with air. Finishes on an appealingly sweet note, with smooth, even tannins folding easily into the wine's plush, lingering fruit. All used French oak. 2021 – 2026. Josh Raynolds - February 2021
90	Wine Spectator	This generous red shows good density. Black cherry and plum flavors are accented by smoke, dried herb and espresso notes, supported by firm tannins and lively acidity. Balanced and focused. Drink now through 2027. 5,000 cases made, 3,000 cases imported.—T.M. Tasting Highlights, Grenache vs. Garnacha: 8 Generous Reds for $30 or Less February 6, 2020
**	The Washington Post	Score: 2.5 Stars (EXCELLENT) Spain’s old garnacha vines produce some terrific value wines. This one is fun and juicy, with flavors of boysenberry, cherry and mint. Give it some time after pulling the cork, and it will reward your patience. August 2019

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Legado del Moncayo Garnacha Vendimia Seleccionada "Montaña" 2018

91 (WB) 88 (VfC)

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
91	Washington Wine Blog	Sourced from Garnacha vines 40 years of age, this shows wonderful freshness and veve, with blood orange and iodine tones that combine with the pretty rose water and red fruits on the palate. Enjoy this beautifully elegant wine over the next seven plus years. Drink 2020-2027. Dr. Owen J. Bargreen, CS - July 2020
88	View from the Cellar	The 2018 Garnacha “Vendimia Seleccionada” from Legado del Moncayo is produced from a parcel of forty year-old vines, grown at an elevation of seven hundred-plus meters above sea level. The soils here are stony over a layer of iron-infused clay, and the wine is aged seven months in older French casks prior to bottling. The 2018 version is ripe at 14.5 percent octane, but quite pure on the nose, offering up scents of raspberries, garrigue, a good base of soil, pepper, a bit of roasted meats and a topnote of lavender. On the palate the wine is deep, fullbodied, ripe and well-balanced, with a good core of fruit, moderate, well-integrated tannins and a long, complex, peppery and gently jammy finish. This is a very good example of Garnacha and a great bargain at $15 a bottle here in the US! 2020-2030+. Issue #86 - March/April 2020

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Legado del Moncayo Garnacha Vendimia Seleccionada "Montaña" 2019

91+ (VfC) 91 (WRO)

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
91+	View from the Cellar	The “Montana” Vendimia Seleccionada bottling from Legado del Moncayo hails from vineyards growing up the side of the volcano, with the vines ranging from forty to sixty years of age now. Unlike the regular bottling, the Montana is raised in used French casks for eight months prior to bottling. The wine offers up a wilder personality, from the combination of the older vines and the higher elevation, with the 2019 delivering scents of dark berries, spit-roasted game, pepper, garrigue, stony minerality, bonfire and a touch of celery seed in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full and very nicely balanced, with a good core, ripe tannins, lovely focus and grip and a long, complex and still light on its feet finish. This has a bit broader shoulders than the regular bottling, as well as just a bit more tannin, but it shares the same exceptional value, as this excellent bottle of Garnacha retails in the US for $15 a bottle! 2023-2040. John Gilman - Issue #91 / February 2021
91	Wine Review Online	I’ve never tasted a vintage of this special, upper elevation selection from Legado del Moncayo that I didn’t love, and the 2019 keeps that string alive. Always darker, deeper, and slightly plusher in feel than the (freshly delicious) regular bottling, it nevertheless remains quite lithe and lovely. There are, as usual, some black cherry notes in this bottling to go along with the red ones, and the overall proportions of fruit sweetness, acidity and tannin are just right. I’ve placed this on the wine list of all the restaurants for which I consult in multiple vintages, and the 2019 is a very strong candidate indeed. Michael Franz – Issue: December 1, 2020

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Legado del Moncayo Garnacha Vendimia Seleccionada "Montaña" 2020

92 (OB) 90+ (VfC) 88 (WS)

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Score	Publication	Review	Copy
92	OwenBargreen.com	The expressive, sensational value 2021 Legado del Moncayo ‘Vendima Seleccionada ‘Montana’ Garnacha comes from 40-60 year old vines set at roughly 700 meters above sea level. The underlying stony character is apparent as ripe red fruits parade with citrus blossom, wet stone, and cigar ash undercurrents. With a beam of salinity through the core, this is delicious, well-structured Garnacha that will be sure to satisfy over the next ten years. Drink 2022-2032. Owen Bargreen - July 20, 2022
90+	View from the Cellar	The 2020 vintage of “Montaña” Vendimia Seleccionada bottling from Legado del Moncayo hails from vineyards growing up the side of the volcano, with the vines between forty to sixty years of age. The Montaña is raised in used French casks for eight months prior to bottling and the 2020 version is a touch riper than the regular bottling, coming in at 14.5 percent alcohol this year. The wine is deeper on the nose from the older vines, offering up scents of dark berries, spit-roasted venison, dark soil tones, coffee bean, a hint of the autumnal shadings to come with bottle age, woodsmoke and garrigue. On the palate the wine is deep, ripe, full-bodied and chewy, with an excellent core of fruit, fine soil inflection, firm tannins and a long, complex and promising finish. There is just a whisper of backend heat here, but overall the wine is nicely balanced and will be a fine drink once it softens up a bit. Unlike the regular bottling from Legado del Moncayo, this old vine cuvée will demand a bit of time in the cellar before it drinks with generosity. 2027-2050+. John Gilman – Issue #98 March/April 2022
88	Wine Spectator	Fresh and balanced, this shows notes of ripe, candied raspberry and blueberry fruit. Offers light, taut tannis, with violet and spice accents. Drink now. 6,000 cases made, 5,000 cases imported. Alison Napjus - April 2024

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Legado del Moncayo Garnacha Vendimia Seleccionada "Montaña" 2021

91 (VfC)

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Score	Publication	Review	Copy
91	View from the Cellar	The 2021 Garnacha “Montaña” from Legado Del Moncayo is their older vine selection, with the vines ranging from forty to more than sixty years of age, and growing on the sides of the extinct volcano about which these vineyards are planted. The wine is aged in older oak casks, rather than tank. The wine is the same ripeness as the regular bottling, but shows a bit deeper color because of its oak elevage. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a mix of black raspberries, grilled meats, woodsmoke, garrigue, dark soil tones and a gentle touch of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely structured, with excellent depth at the core, firm, buried tannins, excellent focus and grip and a long, nascently complex and most impressive finish. This will need a few more years’ worth of bottle age before it starts to drink, but it is a step up in seriousness and an outstanding bargain. 2031-2065. John Gilman - Issue #103 January/February 2023.

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