Winemaker Notes
This AALTO PS exhibits a very dark color, staining the glass, and a panoply of aromas: flinty soils, toasted bread, licorice, spices and black fruit. On the palate, its acidity teams up with the alcohol to counterbalance the abundant tannins, resulting in a perfectly structured wine of considerable elegance and finesse.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made from 100% very old vine Tempranillo and aged 20 months in French oak, the 2016 Aalto Ps is a thrilling, brilliant effort that offers both richness and elegance. Boasting beautifully pure notes of crème de cassis, graphite, spring flowers, and lead pencil shavings, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness and depth, yet stays weightless and elegant. It’s perfectly balanced, and again, has off-the-charts purity leading to a great finish. It needs 3-4 years of bottle age yet will keep for 2-3 decades.Rating:98+
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I tasted an unbottled sample of the 2016 PS, which was the final blend waiting to be bottled in a couple of weeks. It's quite oaky—marked by the élevage of 19 months in new French oak—spicy, toasty and creamy. It has a full-bodied palate with abundant, fine-grained tannins. This will need time in bottle. It's a wine aimed for fans of powerful, concentrated and generously oaked wines.
Range: 94-95
Notoriously food-friendly, long-lasting and Spain’s most widely planted grape, Tempranillo is the star variety of red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja terms Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva indicate both barrel and bottle time before release. Traditionally blended in Rioja with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano, the Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero typically stands alone. Somm Secret—Tempranillo claims many different names depending on location. In Penedès, it is called Ull de Llebre and in Valdepeñas, goes by Cencibel. Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal, Tempranillo plays an important role in Port wine.
Ribera del Duero, Spanish wine region, is located in northen Spain’s Castilla y León region, just a 2-hour drive from Madrid. While winemaking in this area goes back more than 2000 years, it was in the 1980s that 9 wineries applied for and were granted Denominación de Origen (D.O.) status. Today, more than 300 wineries call Ribera del Duero home, including some of Spain’s most iconic names.
Notable Facts Ribera’s main grape variety, Tempranillo, locally know as Tinto Fino, is perfectly suited to the extreme climate of the region, where it must survive scorching summers and frigid winters. Low yields resulting from conscientious tending to old vines planted in Ribera’s diverse soils types, give Ribera wines a distinctive depth and complexity not found in other Tempranillos. Rich and full-bodied, the spice, dark fruit and smoky flavors in a bold Ribera del Duero will pair well with roasted and grilled meats, Mexican food and tomato-based sauces.