AAlto - Ribera del Duero P.S. 2023

Mariano Garcia founded Bodegas Aalto in 1999, after 30 years as technical director and world–renown winemaker for Vega Sicilia. From the beginning he has been guided by three principals: old-vine or massale selection Tinto Fino, a wide range of terroirs spread over nine villages in the province of Burgos, and his vast experience in viticulture and winemaking. Bodegas Aalto controls and farms 110 hectares of vines. Twenty hectares are a young vines (a massale selection from their best old-vine material) while the remaining 90 hectares are from 40 to 100 years old. The soils where their vineyards are situated vary from stony red clay to free-draining and limestone rich sands. The combination of the two provides both structure and a purity of fruit to the final wines.

100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) primarily from very old vines – 60 to 90 years old – from selected plots in La Horra and La Aguilera. The harvest was done by hand, in small boxes of 15 kilos that are thoroughly inspected, bunch by bunch, on the selection table. Aged 21 months in new French oak barrels.

Reddish-purple color. The nose reveals black fruit, spices, and soft notes of fine wood. On the palate, it offers a fresh sensation with good structure and volume, and a subtle, lingering finish.

"PS is short for Pagos Seleccionados and is the icon wine from Alto, made with grapes from individual parcels in La Aguilera, La Horra and Baños de Valdearados. It's one of the best young releases of this wine that I've tasted, with well-handled new French and a little American oak, plenty of structure and layers, polished tannins, blackberry and blueberry fruit flavours and a lovely interplay between wood sweetness and chalky minerality. Good now and will improve in bottle. 2028-2040." - 95 Points, Tim Atkin

Producer: Alto

Country: Spain

Region: Castilla y León

Varietal: Tempranillo

Appellation: Ribera del Duero

Vintage: 2023

Size: 750ml