x
  • Country ranking ?

    153
  • Producer ranking ?

    6
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    2020-2035

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

Close

The Story

AALTO was created in February 1999 when Mariano García - who had been Vega Sicilia's winemaking director for 30 years - and Javier Zaccagnini - for 6 years head of Ribera del Duero's Consejo Regulador - decided to join their expertise in a very special project: to make a wine that in a space of 15-20 years should reach the quality of the best wines in the world. Also, from the very beginning this wine had to exhibit distinct personality.

AALTO is based on three solid pillars:
- The exceptional quality of old Tinto Fino clones (Tempranillo vines which have adapted to Ribera del Duero's climate and soils). We believe that Tinto Fino can offer similar quality to the world's best known varieties: Cabernet in the Médoc, Pinot Noir in Burgundy, Syrah in the Rhône, etc.
- The considerable complexity of our soils combined with the microclimate of our region.
- The winemaking talent and vast experience of Mariano García.

The AALTO project has been one of continual development. We now cultivate 110 hectares of old block Tinto Fino vines in seven villages within the region denominated as Ribera del Duero. We designed and built a modern winery in Quintanilla de Arriba, following strict criteria to ensure optimal winemaking conditions. We use a low temperatura chamber to cool harvested grapes prior to de-stemming and harness gravity to move grapes and musts around the winery, thus avoidin aggressive pumps. We ferment in wood, concrete and stainless steel, employing tanks designed by us. Our two underground oak-ageing halls offer excellent natural conditions to allow perfect malolactic fermentation in wood and gentle, controlled barrel ageing.

AALTO PS (Pagos Seleccionados), is our top wine. It is a selection within the selection, from the very best areas (Pagos) of our vineyards. We expect to be able to offer AALTO PS six or seven vintages each decade.
 
Today AALTO is widely regarded as one of Spain's leading wineries. AALTO PS 2001 was voted Spain's Best Wine in 2005 and our winery has recently been selected in Paris as on of the Best 100 wineries in the world in Michel Bettane's and Thierry Desseayve's recently published book.

Close

Tasting note

color

Deep, Purple and Bright

ending

Long, Lingering and Spicy

flavors

Toasty, Chocolate, Spice, Blackberry, Blackcurrant and Cherry

nose

Intense, Rich, Complex and Ripe

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, High tannin, Balanced, Concentrated, Well-structured, Youthful, Full-bodied, Firm, Round, Harmonious and Silky tannins

Verdict

Well-rounded and Impressive

Written Notes

Bottle with normal size. Looking deep, brick red and dark. Open, intense, refined, complex, ripe, generous, rich and round on the nose. The taste is round, harmonious, ripe, fragrant, toasty, vivid, refined, average in acidity, balanced, well-structured, concentrated, developing, high tannin, silky tannins and full-bodied. With smoky, toasty, chocolate, blackcurrant, blueberry, perfumed, spice, cardamom and leather flavor. Endless, lingering, flavorful, vibrant and spicy. Well made, outstanding and well-rounded. Decanted 1t and drink between 2015 and 2020.
- (Tasting note created by Tb's AI)
  • 91p
Load more notes

Information

Origin

Valladolid, Ribera del Duero

Vintage Quality

Extraordinary
Incorrect Information
If you found some information that is wrong, let us know
Are you sure you want do delete this wine? All information will be lost.
Are you sure you want to recommend this wine?
Are you sure you want hide this written note ?
Are you sure you want show this written note ?
UPGRADE MEMBER PLAN
Upgrade your membership now, it's quick and easy. We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards. Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal. You can cancel your membership at any time.
Thank you for your support!
 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

 

HOW TO USE TASTINGBOOK?

We recommend you to share few minutes for watching the following video instructions of how to use the Tastingbook. This can provide you a comprehensive understanding of all the features you can find from this unique service platform.

This video will help you get started



Taste wines with the Tastingbook


Create Your wine cellar on 'My Wines'



Explore Your tasted wines library



Administrate Your wine world in Your Profile



Type a message ...
Register to Tastingbook
Sign up now, it's quick and easy.
We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards.
Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal, where you can sign up for a free 7-day trial period. You can cancel your membership at any time. We wish you a rewarding journey to the world of Fine Wines.

Free 7 days Member trial

 

Member

 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

  Register