Bodegas Sierra Cantabria "Reserva" Rioja 2016

Vinous - Joaquin Hidalgo : 94 Points

(12/2023) The 2016 Reserva is 100% Tempranillo sourced from San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Labastida, Rioja. Aged for 18 months in equal parts American and French oak barrels, this garnet wine unfolds balsamic, mint and bold garrigue-like aromas, accompanied by licorice and briar notes and a sour cherry core. Dry, chalky and juicy on the palate, the delicate and flavorful flow lingers long with a savory finish. Complex and nuanced, the 2016 captures the essence of Sonsierra Tempranillo. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2035.

Wine Advocate : 93 Points

(2/29/2024) The 2016 Reserva shows ripeness and jammy fruit with plenty of spice and a powerful, full-bodied palate. It has 14.4% alcohol and a pH of 3.66. They used a little new oak here, 20%, with used 50/50 French and American oak barrels for the aging of 18 months. This was a superb vintage, with quality and quantity, a cooler year with more freshness, and the wines seem to be evolving at a slower pace. It's harmonious and clean, classical and expressive, spicy, with a polished palate and resolved tannins. It is fine-boned, more elegant and has a very good balance—a textbook traditional Reserva from a very good year. Drink Date: 2023 - 2029.