2016 Quiñón de Valmira, Álvaro Palacios, Rioja, Spain

I had the chance to preview the 2016 Quin de Valmira, a wine that can seem perplexing during the levage, as it's very pale and ethereal, but it has incredible power and depth, even if the sample was a bit shaky. There is great harmony and elegance here, with very good freshness. Even if it feels light on the palate, it seems to have more clout, concentration, power and acidity than the 2015, like it wants to go one step further. It's not very clear yet, but I believe this is a better wine than the 2015. This should be bottled around February 2018; I tasted a sample from an oval oak cask. There will be some 2,400 bottles of this. I also saw a very raw sample of 2017, from an atypical year of extreme heat and drought, and the wine had a lot more color, extract and concentration. We'll have to wait and see if this ends up being the great wine produced from Valmira. There will be a bit more wine in 2017.

Garnacha's reputation is being transformed with wines like these. Rioja Baja or Rioja Oriental, as Alvaro Palacios prefers to call it) has exceptional sites for Garnacha, and the Quiñón de Valmira is one such example; south-east facing at 600 metres altitude, with very poor soils. This is a great chance to celebrate the pleasures of Garnacha, with its superbly refined ripe aromatics, generous palate and freshness. A very different face of Rioja. Memorable.

Drink 2017-2025.