Montecillo Blanco Fermentado en Barrica 2025

Bodegas Montecillo was founded in Rioja in 1870, and this barrel-fermented white brings together Sauvignon Blanc, Viura and Tempranillo Blanco. The grapes grow on the clay and limestone soils of Rioja, which hold moisture through the dry summer and give the wine its structure and steady acidity. What shapes the style is the winemaking. Rather than fermenting in steel, the juice is fermented in oak barrel and then aged five months in wood, a method where fermentation in contact with the staves, followed by lees ageing, binds the oak into the wine and builds a creamy, rounded texture from the start. The result keeps freshness alongside weight. Sauvignon Blanc lends aromatic lift, Viura the body, and Tempranillo Blanco a citrus tension. It pours bright gold. The nose leads with ripe tropical fruit, mango and melon, over green apple and white flowers with a light vanilla note from the barrel, and the palate is soft and creamy but dry, with citrus peel and a fresh finish that stops it turning heavy. Serve at 11 to 13 degrees in a larger glass.