Alonso del Yerro 2016

The eponymous Crianza 2016 Alonso del Yerro is the main wine produced at the winery. In the last few years, they have moved in the direction of fresher wines, but they're always thinking about the aging potential of the wines. 2016 was a cooler year that was a natural help for this and delivered a wine with slightly lower alcohol. The élevage was mostly in used oak, depending on the plot, and lasted between nine to 15 months, again depending on the character of the wine from the different lots. This is the vintage that best expresses the change toward more freshness and the expression of the place but with depth and the aging potential that they want to keep. There is an evolution, and this 2016 is aromatic and floral, with some complexity and nuance. They ferment and age separate lots that have the common character of the soil, and they do a blend after the élevage. This is the most elegant vintage for this bottling; there is a lot of precision that I like—perfect ripeness and very integrated oak—with some varietal characteristics. It's a happy wine but not banal. A superb 2016 from Ribera. 50,000 bottles and 1,000 magnums produced. It was bottled in July 2018.