91pts Wine Enthusiast– 2016 vintage

Nicely presented plum and cherry aromas come with touches of malt, molasses and oak. A fresh and balanced palate is lively and fairly generous, while this tastes of berry, plum, light oak and earth notes. Spice and vanilla flavors carry a steady finish.

89+pts View from the Cellar– 2016 vintage

The 2016 Rioja “Crianza” from Bodegas Viña Otano is made from fruit sourced in both Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, with the wine raised in a combination of French and American barrels for twelve months. The wine delivers and excellent bouquet of red and black cherries, Rioja spice tones, salty soil tones, cigar wrapper and a nice touch of toasted coconut in the upper register. On the palate the wine is fullish, complex and velvety on the attack, with a good core, fine focus and grip and a long, moderately tannic finish. I like the raw material here immensely, but the wood sticks out a bit on the backend, adding a touch of rigidity at the present time, which should ameliorate with a bit of bottle age. I do not know how old the oak barrels were that this wine was aged in, but I get the impression that there is some new wood here and it would make sense to me to use those casks again and not add any new oak to subsequent vintages for this bottling, as there is such a lovely texture to the fruit component of this wine that it seems silly to have to wait for the oak tannins to better integrate on the backend to enjoy that characteristic fully. That said, this wine has impressive depth and complexity and with a bit of bottle age, it is going to be lovely and is a very fine value. 2021-2045.

88pts Wine Spectator– 2016 vintage

This smooth red delivers modest but harmonious flavors of cherry, dried currant, tobacco and spice. Gentle tannins and orange peel acidity keep this focused. Drink now through 2024. 10,000 cases made, 2,500 cases imported.