95+ Points, Gary Walsh – The Wine Front, Tip Top Tipple – “Tobacco, spice, violet and liquorice root, red cherry and strawberry. It’s medium-bodied, distinctly gravelly tannin coats the mouth, red fruits and spice, with a savoury mineral and underbrush character, tension and fresh acidity, perhaps a little orange rind and Campari in the mix too. The finish is very long and cool, almost succulent, with black tea tannin and spice trailing. Beautiful bone structure, and, I suspect, great potential in the cellar. Outstanding.”

Our comments: this is something really rather special in the offing - however it's very tightly coiled now.  There's an incredible spice to this wine and knockout aromatics. An incredible structure here and certainly one for the cellar. 

The milder 13 vintage was perfect for the Montanello cru and consequently Monchiero elected to release this wine as a Riserva. 

Montanello is a lesser known Castiglione Falletto cru by outsiders but very highly regarded by locals in the Langhe. There's more than touch of Serralunga feel about this though.

Monchiero have an excellent parcel of Montanello, a vineyard that is otherwise a monopole and in the hands of Tenuta Montanello.

The wines from Montanello are invariably punctuated by high minerality and lots of spice. Monchiero's 2013 Riserva is no exception and a wine of many layers albeit very tightly coiled at present.  It's a beautiful offering and thus far my favourite wine from Monchiero to date.