Marks and reviews
Description
The estate
Mariano Garcia and Javier Zaccagnini founded Aalto Bodegas y Viñedos in 1999 with the ambition of producing fine Spanish wines that are complex, well-balanced and have a unique personality. Over the years, Aalto Bodegas y Viñedos has become a benchmark among the leading producers in the Ribera del Duero. The richness and refinement of these wines are rapidly gaining recognition beyond borders, as proven by the fact that the estate was ranked among the 100 best wineries in the world by the great French critics Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve.
The vineyard
With a surface area of 130 hectares, the vineyards of Aalto Bodegas y Viñedos are unique in that they reign over a mosaic of more than 200 plots located in 9 different municipalities. Due to their different altitudes and micro-climates, each plot requires individual monitoring in order to harvest the grapes at optimum ripeness. Rigorous attention is paid to this vineyard, which is managed without any herbicides or pesticides and whose vines are between 40 and 100 years old.
The wine
Aalto PS 2020 by Aalto Bodegas Vinedos is a Ribera del Duero wine made from a rigorous selection of very old vines aged between 60 and 90 years in the La Horra and La Aguilera vineyards.
The vintage
Cool winter and spring conditions delayed budburst until late April. Shifting weather conditions preceded a hot summer, punctuated by storms at the end of August. The fine temperature variations in September were ideal for refining the ripening process of the grapes until the harvest.
Vinification and ageing
The hand-picked grapes are rigorously sorted bunch by bunch in order to keep only those that showcase a high quality. The wine is aged for 21 months in French oak barrels (100% new).
The blend
Tempranillo (Tinto Fino) (100%).
The tasting
Full-bodied and fresh, this Castilla y León wine blends fine tannins with an elegant fruity expression, sustained by more complex notes due to the ageing period.