Artadi Rioja Vina El Pison 2016 750ml
Rated 100 by James Suckling
The purity of fruit to this is really something else. I am not sure I have tasted a young Spanish wine with such purity. The crushed-blackberry, violet and sandalwood aromas with dried black tea are so enticing. They really catch your mind. The fruit and tannin texture to this is impeccable, as it just folds together on the palate and delivers a perfect balance of fruit and texture. Dances on your palate. You have to drink it now. But it will age forever.
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Rated 99 by Wine Advocate
The flagship 2016 Viña El Pisón, from a vineyard planted in 1946 in Laguardia at 480 meters in altitude, showed an ethereal vintage with a vibrant palate and was extremely open, expressive, clean and approachable, with a lot less oak than when I tasted it from tank in early 2018 after only eight months in barrel. The wine has now been bottled and it's as good as expected, reaching the upper limit of my estimation from last year. It has energy and power, with chalky minerality, austere and with finesse, less exuberant than years like 2015 or 2014. This is a wine that always benefits from more time in bottle. This has to be one of the finest vintages of El Pisón in recent times. It reminds me of the 2010, with a rare combination of elegance and power. 6,000 bottles produced.
Rated 92 by Wine Spectator
This big red features a plush texture and a firm backbone. Blackberry and currant flavors mingle with loamy earth and mineral notes, giving way to an espresso-scented finish. Concentrated, in the modern style. Best from 2020 through 2035. 550 cases made, 80 cases imported.
The delicate balance between all of the natural agents that comprise this unique environment produces a wine that is full of subtle minerality, fine fruit, both complex and delicate seasoned nuances and tannins that have enveloping and caressing volumes. This is a wine with surprising expressivity; a wine with a natural elegance that provokes deep and changing feelings.