The manual harvest here began with Tempranillo, followed a few days later by Graciano. It was then aged in American oak barrels for four years, undergoing a total of eight manual racking sessions every six months, before being bottled in May of 2021. This wine has an alcohol content of 14.5%, a pH of 3.61, and an acidity of 5.4 g, ripe but not heavy.
Approximately 120,000 bottles were produced. Rioja's Regulatory Council rated the 2016 vintage Very Good; wines from this vintage can be enjoyed superbly even in their youth, yet they also possess the potential to age for decades. They are best enjoyed by 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.
