Le millésime 2016 du Gran Reserva 904 est un vin rouge classique de longue garde de La Rioja Alta, issu de la D.O.Ca. Rioja. Ce vin, élaboré à partir d'un assemblage de Tempranillo et de Graciano, n'est produit en quantités limitées que lors des millésimes que le domaine juge particulièrement réussis. La saison de croissance 2016 a été l'une des plus longues de mémoire récente pour la Rioja. Un hiver doux et un printemps pluvieux ont retardé le débourrement et permis de reconstituer les réserves d'eau souterraines, mais dès l'été, le temps est devenu chaud et sec. Le rendement étant élevé, les viticulteurs ont taillé les grappes en excès et les ont laissées au sol. Les pluies de septembre ont encore prolongé la période des vendanges, et alors même qu'octobre touchait à sa fin, de nombreux domaines étaient encore en pleine récolte.
La récolte manuelle a commencé ici par le Tempranillo, suivie quelques jours plus tard par le Graciano. Le vin a ensuite été élevé en fûts de chêne américain pendant quatre ans, subissant au total huit soutirages manuels tous les six mois, avant d'être mis en bouteille en mai 2021. Ce vin présente un taux d'alcool de 14,5 %, un pH de 3,61 et une acidité de 5,4 g ; il est mûr sans être lourd.
Environ 120 000 bouteilles ont été produites. Le Conseil régulateur de la Rioja a attribué au millésime 2016 la mention Très Bien ; les vins de ce millésime se dégustent à merveille même dans leur jeunesse, mais ils possèdent également le potentiel de vieillir pendant des décennies. Il est recommandé de les déguster de préférence avant 2045.
Robert Parker (96)
I find the 2016 Gran Reserva 904 to be spectacular and a textbook example of the grand traditional style. It was produced with 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano from a selection of vineyards in search of balanced wines with silky tannins, good acidity, character, length and aging potential. The élevage is long, four years in used barrels averaging 4.5 years of age, during which time the wine is manually racked every six months. It's ripe with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.61 and 5.4 grams of acidity, but the wine is super fresh and complex, with aromas of cigar box, balsamic, dry tea leaves, aromatic herbs, camphor, antiquary furniture and tobacco. It's elegant and intense, with pungent flavors and very good freshness, and it's silky, textured and nicely structured, with volume, clean, intense and long. This is a very complete year for 904. It's ready, but it should last.
Jancis Robinson (17.5)
Full bottle 1,286 g. Tempranillo (90%) and Graciano (10%). Aged for four years in their own American oak barrels, with an average age of 4.5 years. Traditional racking was carried out every six months, and the wine was bottled in May 2021. TA 5.4 g/l, pH 3.61.
Mid smudgy garnet. Sweetly mature with senescent fruits, sweet American oak with a touch of vanilla and the start of leathery, undergrowth tertiary notes. Invitingly complex and layered. And yet still fragrant with fruit. Just perfect for drinking now as all the flavours are intertwined and evolving and everything evolving evenly. Super-smooth, fresher than I had anticipated from the analysis but some alcoholic heat on the finish. Rounded, complete and complex. Old-school Rioja and none the worse for that. Smooth but still chewy tannins. A classic and satisfying wine with a long finish which showed itself fully as it opened in the glass. (JH)
Vinous (97)
The 2016 Gran Reserva 904 from Rioja Alta is composed of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano. It aged for four years in American oak barrels, 20% of which were new. This has a slightly sun-kissed profile, opening with pronounced oaky aromas followed by classic tertiary notes of clove, licorice, vanilla and caramel, alongside hints of tobacco leaf and bay. This is complex in its maturity, offering good volume, creamy texture and a seamless flow across the palate. A touch of camphor appears at the finish, adding energy to the approachable character. The extended aging in oak defines the long, composed finale.
Jeb Dunnuck (95)
A 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano, the 2016 Gran Reserva 904 is sourced from a selection of estate-owned vineyards from throughout the region. The vintage was high in quality and quantity and the producer could be selective in the vineyard. Aging took place four years in American barrel, most of them four years old, and four more in bottle. It tastes of coffee and dark chocolate, with high-toned acidity that underscores raspberry fruit. Still a touch grippy, the tannins are beginning to become supple. More time in bottle should be fine, drink now through 2036.
