The Control Board of the DOCa Rioja awarded the official rating of 'VERY GOOD' to the 2016 Rioja vintage which, after a favorable evolution throughout the growth cycle, offered very satisfactory results in terms of quality and quantity, with a Denomination of Origin certified production of 315.57 million liters. The harvest’s most outstanding qualities are a great balance between acidity and alcohol content, its aromatic quality and its excellent phenolic ripeness, which provides them with great depth and persistence.
The 'VERY GOOD' rating is the average rating resulting of the rigorous process of classification by means of laboratory and sensory tests to which the 337.33 million liters of wine made by the wineries during 2016 were subjected to —they were represented by a total of 4,821 samples directly taken from the tanks by Control Board's technicians. A total of 315.57 million liters (23.04 of white, 14.62 of rosé and 277.94 of red) of the 2016 vintage were approved, earning the right to be certified as DOCa Rioja wines. Although the qualitative parameters of the 2016 harvest are higher than those of the previous harvest, both have received the same rating.
According to the report by the Control Board's Authorized Overseers' Service, which carries out exhaustive monitoring of all the phases of the cycle, climate favored the correct evolution of the growth state of the vineyard, as well as the absence of major pests or diseases. This meant that the grapes’ health was excellent until the end of the harvest. The 2016 vintage was surprising due to its extended development over two months, due to the good weather, and because of the increased production expectations after a cycle marked by drought and high summer temperatures. The Control Board intensified production controls with the goal of optimizing quality, which was another peculiarity of the season.
Among the features that define the average profile of 2016 harvest wines—whose average alcohol content is 13,440 compared to 14,150 from the previous year—, we should mention their great balance between acidity and alcohol content, which gives them freshness as well as phenolic maturity, a very exciting duality. In addition to its aromatic intensity and quality, the excellent phenolic ripeness reached by the grapes is perceived in the softness and roundness of tannins in the mouth, resulting in wines with great depth and persistence.

Final rating: VERY GOOD

Classified wine: 315.57 million liters.

Red: 277.94 million liters.

White: 23.01 million liters.

Rosé: 14.62 million liters.