Ribera del Duero 2018

AALTO

Ribera del Duero
2018

Country
Spain
Regulated designation
Denominación de origen (DO)
Region
Castilla y Leon
Appellation
Ribera del Duero
Varietal(s)
Tempranillo 100 %
Alcohol percentage
15%
Colour
Red
Sugar
Dry
Aging vessel type
French and American oak
Length of aging
16 months
Producer's website

About this winery

For the son of a winery worker, Mariano García's rise to head winemaker of Vega Sicilia was transcendent. When another taster was needed for a blind tasting teenaged Mario was randomly pulled into the winemaker's office. Of all the tasters he was the only one to identify the two wines in the tasting that were identical. This gifted taster was immediately put to work and by age 24 he had taken over as winemaker of the legendary estate, a role he held for 30 years. Consequently, the world of...

See the AALTO detail page for more information on this brand

Product notes

Tempranillo primarily from very old vines – 40 to 80 years old- from nine different villages in the province of Burgos and Valladolid. The harvest was done by hand and thoroughly inspected, bunch by bunch.

Tasting notes

Intense red color. This wine is highly complex on the nose. Predominantly aromas of well ripened red fruit and notes of liquorice and spices emerge. On the palate this wine is fresh, long, and meaty with a persistent structure of sweet and elegant tannins.

Press reviews

Wine Advocate

- 94 points -

(Vintage 2020)

The nose of the red 2020 Aalto comes blasting with tons of toasted oak, spice, smoke and more toast, ripe berries and a luxurious creaminess like the finest modern wines from the turn of the century. This is predictable but exactly what their customers are looking for, with ripe berries, generous oak and a velvety palate with volume, soft tannins and mellow acidity. It matured in French and American oak barrels for 18 months. Some things never change. 330,000 bottles. It was bottled in July 2022.

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James Suckling

- 93 points -

(Vintage 2020)

Fine spice and vanilla to the blackberries, mussels, sandalwood, minerals, black walnuts and dark chocolate. Quite well-judged and balanced on the palate, showing a mid-palate that is about freshness, fruit and fluidity, together with tight, nicely grippy tannins. Juicy, chewy and long. Drinkable now, but better from 2024

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