R. Parker (94+/100)
The 2016 Macán saw a new vinification by plot with the introduction of their new fermentation room. The Tempranillo came from selected vineyards from their 92 hectares; it fermented in oak vats and matured in 4,000-liter and barriques (50/50) for some 16 months and was kept in bottle for three years before being released. They think this 2016 is finally the style they were looking for, a wine with density and freshness. 2016 was the first year they vinified and aged from start to finish in the new winery, and they believe that gave them better control over the fermentations. 2016 is a year with more freshness than 2015, and they are trying to achieve wines with more tension and less power and oak than in the beginning. This could very well be the finest vintage of Macán so far. The grapes were picked between September 17th and October 3rd. 87,792 bottles, 2,570 magnums and some larger formats were produced. The wine was bottled in September 2018.
The joint venture between Benjamin de Rothschild and Vega Sicilia has a new fermentation chamber in 2016. They have also started using 4,000-liter oak vats for the aging of the wines, looking for less impact from the wood. The 92 hectares of 40-year-old vines in the villages of Ábalos, Labastida, El Villar and San Vicente de la Sonsierra produce some 300,000 bottles per year.