Crianza sounds kinda nice but...

It may be fun to say the name, but the Bodegas Montecillo Crianza 2000 (Spain) is best left on the shelf. I was willing to be somewhat charitable towards it, it is a fairly robust wine and might appeal to those who like a dry, tannic, non-fruity red; however, when I discovered I paid just under $20 for it, I became a little more critical. It is quite harsh to drink, the tannins are very present and it isn't worth saving for a few years to let the tannins soften as it doesn't really have any pleasant or intersting flavours lurking in it that might emerge given some time in the cellar.

Crianza is the term used for the youngest of Spanish barrel aged wines. In Rioja (another great word to say) crianzas must age for at least 12 months in the barel and cannot be released until their third year. I don't know why this is, but just about every wine producing region has it's share of silly laws. I guess I shouldn't say they are silly, as they let people know what methods and/or grape varieties are used to produce the wine, but it does nothing for quality assurance as is obvious from this wine.

This same producer makes a Solaz that is available in the Whitehorse Liquor Store. It is $5 cheaper and I recall it being more pleasant to drink. Give the Solaz a try, leave the crianza alone.