2016 Rioja & Spain Vintage

The growing cycle was marked by drought and high summer temperatures. The Consejo Regulador's vineyard monitoring service, the Servicio Habilitado de Veedores, found that the weather generally favored healthy vine growth, with no significant pests or diseases, so grape health stayed excellent to the end of the harvest. Unusual September and October weather, very favorable for keeping the grapes clean, let growers pick selectively, vineyard by vineyard, once each reached optimum ripeness. The harvest ran for two months. It followed 2015, when picking finished on 13 October, the earliest end to a Rioja harvest on record. The Consejo's English report points to "an unexpected increase in production after a growth cycle marked by drought and high summer temperatures." In all, 462.5 million kg of grapes were picked from 62,641 hectares of productive vineyard; after yield excesses were discounted, 442.4 million kg were certified by the DOCa.

• Growing cycle marked by drought and high summer temperatures
• No significant pests or disease; grape health excellent to the end of the harvest
• Unusual, very favorable September and October weather allowed selective picking
• Two-month harvest: 462.5 million kg picked, 442.4 million kg certified

The Consejo headed its production figures "una cosecha amplia y equilibrada en las tres zonas" (translated: an ample, balanced harvest across the three zones). Productive vineyard area was 62,641 hectares, 759 more than the year before, of which 58,016 were red varieties and 4,625 white. Certified grapes split 400.14 million kg red (90 percent) and 42.22 million kg white (10 percent). By zone, Rioja Alta contributed 187.8 million kg, Rioja Alavesa 93.0 million kg and Rioja Oriental 161.6 million kg. Production controls were stepped up that year to optimize quality.

• Rioja Alta: 187.8 million kg of certified grapes
• Rioja Alavesa: 93.0 million kg
• Rioja Oriental: 161.6 million kg
• Productive vineyard: 62,641 hectares, 759 more than the year before

The "Muy Buena" (Very Good) rating is the average result of analysis and tasting of 4,821 samples, which Consejo technicians took directly from winery tanks to represent the 337.33 million litres made in 2016. That was 1,033 more samples than the year before, assessed by more than 150 professional tasters. In all, 315.57 million litres won certification: 277.94 red, 23.01 white and 14.62 rose. The quality parameters of 2016 were higher than those of 2015, yet both vintages received the same rating because the requirements for the rating exam have grown stricter. Pablo Franco, director of the Consejo's control body, said the 2016 wines should be understood as a "muy bueno doble" (translated: a "double very good"), because beyond their overall balance they stand out for their phenolic ripeness.

• Rating: "Muy Buena" (Very Good), DOCa-wide
• 4,821 tank samples, assessed by more than 150 professional tasters
• 2016 scored higher than 2015 on quality parameters but received the same rating

The Consejo's own report sums up the 2016 profile as great balance between acidity and alcohol, which its English version calls "an exciting combination of freshness and phenolic ripeness." Average alcohol was 13.44 percent against 14.15 percent in 2015. That drop of nearly one degree did not reflect a loss of quality: the long harvest and plot-by-plot selection let growers pick at more precise ripeness and keep natural acidity. The wines show aromatic intensity, soft, round tannins and great depth and persistence, and suit both drinking in their first years and long aging in barrel and bottle. The reds show intense color and marked polyphenolic structure, with tannins already integrated at rating time, which makes them especially suited to Reservas and Gran Reservas. The whites have volume and fresh, floral aromas, with native varieties such as Viura, Malvasia, Garnacha Blanca and Maturana Blanca standing out, and the rosados are pale, fruity and floral, fresh and light.

• Average alcohol 13.44 percent, versus 14.15 percent in 2015
• Reds: intense color, integrated tannins, suited to Reserva and Gran Reserva
• Whites: volume and fresh, floral aromas; native white varieties stood out
• Rosados: pale color, fruity and floral, fresh and light