Viña Cumbrero 1973

Wine: Viña Cumbrero 1973
Winery: Bodegas Montecillo (Fuenmayor, La Rioja)
Appellation / Region: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 70% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 15% Mazuelo
ABV: [Not specified]
Winemaking

Initially aged for 6 to 12 months in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. It then underwent 18 to 24 months of aging in semi-new 225-liter American oak barrels. Depending on the vintage, the wine may undergo cold stabilization. It was aged in the bottle for 12 to 18 months in the winery’s cellars prior to release. This is the same wine as the Montecillo Crianza. 

 

Tasting Notes
 

Appearance: Very pale reddish-ruby with medium-low depth; clean and luminous. It shows bright orange and reddish highlights. The rim is broad and tawny (tile-red). 

 

Nose: Medium intensity—soft and mature—without excessive complexity and showing very slight reduction. It presents a timidly perfumed profile with hints of vanilla, toffee, Werther's Original caramel, and cocoa butter, over a background of concentrated red fruit and wine-soaked old oak. Well-executed and pleasant, it opens gradually with aeration, becoming increasingly spicy and earthy, with a nuanced note of bitter orange marmalade.

 

Palate: Dry and fresh on the palate; highly spicy, light, and easy to drink. It maintains a cheerful acidity that provides life, alongside ultra-fine tannins, bitter nuances, and a layer of seasoned wood and creamy textures. Integrated, straightforward, and mature, it concludes with a candied, liqueur-like finish. Viña Cumbrero, along with Rioja Bordón from Bodegas Franco-Españolas, was once one of the great Crianzas of Spain: reliable, clean, and consistently high-performing reds. The 1973 vintage was the final year for Montecillo, Viña Cumbrero, and Viña Monty crafted under the direct supervision of the Navajas family before the Osborne Group acquired the company. These are deeply missed, well-crafted wines.

 

Personal Score: 87
Tasting Group Score: 88