The colour is medium ruby. On the nose woody sensations and chocolate dominate the experience. With some air tomato and hot pepper also come on stage. In the mouth the wine is far from delivering the opulent experience you would expect. In the long aftertaste the woody sensations first perceived on the nose come back, as well as the chocolate. For my taste, this wine got too much exposure to oak.
This bottle doesn’t deliver the enjoyment I anticipated. Maybe my expectations were too high due to the pleasure I had with the AALTO 2012 I reviewed two years ago: www.thelovedwine.com/aalto-2012
The production of AALTO is approximately 250’000 bottles a year. The production of AALTO PS does not exceed 20’000 bottles. PS means Pagos Seleccionados. This wine is the result of a selection of grapes grown on small plots with vines between 60 and 90 years old. It is made 100% with Tempranillo grapes from selected plots in La Horra and La Aguilera in the Ribera del Duero.
Ribera del Duero is located at 800 meters above sea level, on an elevated plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. I visited the region in 2015 and was impressed by the concentration of excellent winemakers and their overwhelming hospitality. Being a Swiss may have been an advantage, since my country is a very important export market for most of their high-end labels. Nevertheless, the warmth welcome always seemed to be genuine and stemming from the pleasure of welcoming a wine enthusiast.
After Rioja, Ribera del Duero is nowadays the most important wine region of Spain. It is located in Castilla y Leon, northern Spain. Despite a long history of winemaking centered on the leading local producer, Bodegas Vega Sicilia founded in 1864, Ribera del Duero was not awarded DO status until 1982. Tinto Pesquera is another renowned brand, created by the region’s best-known winemaker: Alejandro Fernández. The success of Vega Sicilia and Pesquera quickly turned local producers away from bulk wines and from selling to co-operatives. Instead they focused their attentions on making quality reds. Nowadays other prominent producers include Hacienda Monasterio and Emilio Moro. As well as the iconic Dominio de Pingus.
Back in 2015 I visited all these wineries. Vega Sicilia looks more like a fortress than a winery and didn’t let me in, but AALTO and Hacienda Monasterio welcomed me with great hospitality. Pesquera was fine, Emilio Moro was disappointing: way more focused on points and business than on wine. Dominio de Pingus I got to see only through the windows. Unfortunately, I was too intimidated to ring the bell of Mr Peter Sisseck.
I bought this bottle at Arvi in 2016 for 73 CHF, too much for the pleasure it gave me.
Country: Spain
Region: Ribera del Duero
Grapes: Tempranillo
Type: Red
Vintage: 2013
Producer: Aalto Bodegas y Vinedos
Price range: Extra (50-100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 3/5
Is a pitty that you found too much oak… sometimes happens in the early days of new promising wines in Spain… I tasted the Aalto (not PS) and I still remember enjoying it so much
Dear Sara, Thank for the feedback. How are you doing? Have a nice Sunday, Pascal