2016 Rioja Reserva
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Tasting notes
Brilliant violet. Highly perfumed aromas of ripe cherry, blueberry, candied rose and incense are complemented by vanilla and woodsmoke nuances that build in the glass. Sweet and pliant on the palate, offering sappy black and blue fruit liqueur and spicecake flavors and a hint of smokiness. Lingers with strong tenacity on the finish, which features a repeating blue fruit note and steadily building tannins.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The renewed classical red 2016 Reserva was produced as a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo. It fermented in small stainless steel and concrete vats and matured in 225-liter French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels for 18 months. It has a very expressive nose, open, aromatic and showy, a little Rhône-ish. 2016 was a cooler year and they had a long harvest, and it seems like the fruit ripened thoroughly without excess. It's a natural continuation of the 2015, when the wine already had more freshness and better integrated oak. It has a full body and some dusty tannins, finishing dry and tasty. It's ready to drink. There were 281,389 bottles and 3,000 magnums produced. It was bottled in May 2019.
This is so powerful and tightly wound with so much intensity and power. Full body. Crushed berries and hints of walnuts and cedar. Purity in fruit. Very subtle character, but great tension and richness. Drink after 2021.