2016 La Ricolma

It is my job to come up with words to describe a wine, but the 2016 La Ricolma left me speechless. "Wow" is all I could say just after tasting it. The 2016 vintage has a greater sense of focus and precision compared to the 2015, which is happier and almost carefree by comparison. The 2016 vintage is buttoned up and tightly knit. The two vintages are tricky side by side, because both are stunning, but they show different kinds of beauty. It's like comparing the colorful, folkloric and somewhat haphazard landscape of Postiano (representing the 2015 vintage) to the linear, straight and well-engineered landscape of Manhattan (representing the 2016 vintage). In terms of scoring, I gave 98 points to the 2015 vintage, which gives me only so much room to express a preference for the 2016 vintage. This edition offers so much magic on so many levels. I get black fruit and even a touch of cheerfully sweet cherry juice, alongside more mature notes of black olive, spice, tar and road paving. This is a dense, rich and succulent wine with abundant beauty and depth. Black mineral and graphite notes appear as the wine takes on more air. It really is gorgeous. A mere 4,373 bottles, 300 magnums and 30 double magnums were made.

Aromas of blueberries, dark chocolate and sandalwood follow through to a medium to full body with firm yet round tannins and just a whiff of new wood. It’s got all it needs to be a wonderful wine. Just give it a year or two to soften. Best after 2021.