Why it matters
The producer
Bodegas Montelciego has been making wine in Elciego since the early twentieth century, working with Tempranillo sourced selectively from across Rioja's production zones. The bodega is not a prestige address and does not present itself as one. Its commercial role is built around the Spanish hospitality trade: Makro, the wholesale distributor, carries the Montelciego Crianza and Reserva as a consolidated brand for hotels, restaurants, and catering operations, selling roughly one million bottles a year through that channel alone.
That positioning shapes everything about the range. The wines are correctly made, reliably Rioja Alavesa in character, and priced for the table rather than the collector. The philosophy, as the house states it, is to express a singular personality through selective grape sourcing, balancing landscape, history, and a pleasure-oriented approach to winemaking.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Elciego sits in Rioja Alavesa, the northernmost sub-zone of the Rioja DOCa and administratively part of the Basque Country. The Ebro river and the Sierra de Cantabria shape the climate here: cooler than Rioja Alta or Rioja Oriental, with Atlantic influence moderating summer heat and preserving acidity in the grapes. Tempranillo is the dominant variety across Rioja Alavesa, and the sub-zone's wines tend toward fresh fruit character and a firm tannic line compared with the fuller, more oak-dominated styles sometimes found further east. Wines labelled Rioja DOCa from this sub-zone may carry the Rioja Alavesa designation.
Crianza and Reserva are the two ageing categories that define Montelciego's range. Crianza requires a minimum of two years, with at least one year in oak barrels. Reserva extends that to three years minimum, at least one in oak. Both categories are legally defined within the Rioja DOCa rules and appear on the label as a guarantee of minimum cellar time.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Montelciego sources Tempranillo selectively from different production zones within Rioja, blending across sites to achieve a consistent flavour profile rather than expressing a single vineyard. Grapes enter the cellar and are vinified to meet the DOCa ageing requirements for each category. The Crianza spends at least one year in oak barrels, building the cedar, vanilla, and spice character that runs through the finished wine. The Reserva receives extended ageing, with barrel time long enough that the tannins from the wood integrate fully into the fruit rather than standing apart from it. The style across both wines favours oak integration and dark fruit presence over raw tannin or high-acid freshness.
Wines to know
The range in view
The confirmed range is two wines: the Crianza and the Reserva, both Tempranillo-dominant reds made under Rioja DOCa rules.
The Crianza is the volume wine. It carries deep cherry colour with ruby and garnet notes, and the 2022 vintage shows a spiced, oak-forward palate: cherry, plum, dark chocolate, cinnamon, currants, cedar, vanilla, and dill. The oak is present but not harsh; this is a wine built for food, specifically the bread-and-butter restaurant and hotel table that the Makro channel serves.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with the Crianza. It is the wine that carries Montelciego's house character most directly: Tempranillo from Rioja Alavesa, two years minimum in the cellar with at least one in oak, and a palate that runs from dark cherry and plum through cinnamon, cedar, and vanilla to a finish that stays warm and spiced. The oak is present but not dominant; the fruit holds. It carries dark cherry and plum through cinnamon, cedar, and vanilla.