2016 Bodegas Casa Primicia Pensante Special Edition Rioja 750 ml

Wine Advocate doesn’t think Rioja’s had a better year than 2016. We have no reason to disagree, and we think bottles from the vintage are some of the biggest no-brainer buys out there. 

The only problem is that top-scoring ‘16 Riojas are becoming scarce, expensive, or both. So when we got the chance to offer the 2016 Pensante, especially at this price, it would have been a dereliction of duty to pass. 

This is a BIG Rioja—one that has more in common with a broad-shouldered Napa Cabernet or opulent Pomerol, thanks to the richness and concentration achieved in dry-farmed Tempranillo from vines boasting 100 to 150 years of age!

Made from 100% estate fruit in the foothills of the Cantabria Mountains, this wine is practically picked grape by grape: Casa Primicia’s harvesters hunted across roughly 200 acres of vineyards in search of its oldest, best, most expressive Tempranillo. The resulting bottling is so powerful that Primicia waited seven years to release it. 

Wine Enthusiast puts the price at $200. Thanks to our connections in Rioja, we have it for over HALF off. It’s a collectible addition to anyone’s cellar—and you shouldn’t have to think twice about getting yourself this dazzling bottle.

You’ll notice that there is no Crianza, Reserva, or Gran Reserva tag appended to the Pensante’s name. That’s because Casa Primicia is part of a new wave of winemakers and estates in Rioja experimenting with expressions that go beyond the bounds of the appellation’s classification system. For this bottling, enologist Fernando Domingo wanted to celebrate the estate’s ancient-vine plots, capturing the character of the Laguardia Vineyard’s terroir in Rioja Alavesa while adding further layers of complexity through a multitiered barreling regime.

The wine ferments in 400-liter barrels over 10 days, then undergoes malolactic fermentation in much smaller French oak barrels. Afterwards, it matures in a 2,200-liter French oak vat in Casa Primicia’s cellars. This is not like any Rioja you’ve had before. The star bottle of the vintage, available at a value far below the market price, it’s a bombshell acquisition.