The 2016 Santa Cruz de Artazu comes from a six-hectare plot of extremely old vines. It fermented in open-top stainless steel vats and matured in barrique until it finished malolactic. 2016 was an unusual vintage that had moderate temperatures and enough rain, and it delivered a large crop; it's a year of good quality, perhaps with less structure and tannic structure. An explosion of fruit and flowers, this wine is more approachable, fresher and, ultimately, my favorite of the vintages I've tasted from this single-vineyard bottling. 6,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in early September 2018.