" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
Wine from Aalto
Filter
The AALTO project was founded in February 1999, in the prestigious winemaking region of Ribera del Duero (Spain). The foundational aim of Mariano Garcia and Javier Zaccagnini in AALTO was to make a wine that shows a different personality, of high quality and being a faithful reflection of distinct locations, blending them at the end of the aging process to obtain balance and complexity.
A few years later, in 2006, Masaveu and Nozaleda families joined AALTO, both owners of wineries in other wine regions of Spain, providing experience and stability to the project, which meant the consolidation of the winery to this day.
From its beginnings in 1999 until the harvest of 2004, the production of our wines took place in rented facilities in Roa (Burgos, Spain). While the project was being established, the founders began looking for a new place to locate their own new winery. A beautiful plot of 15 hectares belonging to the municipality of Quitanilla de Arriba (Valladolid) was chosen.
The first phase of the new winery was completed in 2005, being that year the first harvest that was produced in these facilities. The modern design chosen for this new winery was carried out only with the very highest quality criteria. The architecture of the winery is perfectly integrated into the environment, in a typical Ribera del Duero plateau, with a lineal and harmonic design without ostentation, and minimalistic details, elegant and comfortable. The second phase of the winery corresponding to the more social part of the winery was completed in 2016.
Winemaker
Mariano García Fernández
Born in Valbuena de Duero
Mariano García studied at the “Escuela de la Vid y el Vino” in Madrid and made his first harvest in 1968 at Vega Sicilia, where he developed his professional career as Technical Director of the company for 30 years, until 1998. In 1999, he founded with Javier Zaccagnini, Bodegas AALTO, as Technical Director from the first day. As a winemaker, Mariano García firmly controls the yields, respecting the grapes as much as possible and his philosophy of minimum intervention, searching for the maximum expression of the terroir in each plot. The wines unite the power and structure with elegance and complexity.
Showing 1 to 2 of 2 (1 Pages)
Sort By:
Show:Products per page
Display: List / Grid
Aalto P.S. Pagos Seleccionados Tinto is made from 100 percent Tempranillo.
Climatic conditions
The farming year began with a mild autumn and little precipitation. A very dry winter started with -9ºC reaching at the end higher temperatures than normal for that time of the year. Spring and summer characterized by little rain, only some rain showers in July and late August avoided the hydric stress of the vines. The vegetative cycle of the vine developed with big variations of temperatures, alternating warm and atypical low temperatures of 4ºC for mid-June. The ripening of the grapes happened under very good conditions and the harvest started on 24th September 2019.
Grape origin
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.
Tasting notes
Purple red color. On the nose we perceive good dark fruit intensity and elegant spicy hints. On the palate it is fresh and dense with enveloping tannins. AALTO PS 2019 is a long, intense and full of nuances wine that will benefit from a time in the bottle.
Average oak ageing
Aged for 21 months in new French oak barrels.
Review:
Color: dark cherry, Aroma: toasty, spicy, fine cocoa, black fruit, Mouth: tasty, toasty, fine bitterness, ripe tannins
Guia Penin 94 Points
Aalto P.S. Pagos Seleccionados Tinto is made from 100 percent Tempranillo.
Climatic conditions
The farming year began with a mild autumn and little precipitation. A very dry winter started with -9ºC reaching at the end higher temperatures than normal for that time of the year. Spring and summer characterized by little rain, only some rain showers in July and late August avoided the hydric stress of the vines. The vegetative cycle of the vine developed with big variations of temperatures, alternating warm and atypical low temperatures of 4ºC for mid-June. The ripening of the grapes happened under very good conditions and the harvest started on 24th September 2019.
Grape origin
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.
Tasting notes
Purple red color. On the nose we perceive good dark fruit intensity and elegant spicy hints. On the palate it is fresh and dense with enveloping tannins. AALTO PS is a long, intense and full of nuances wine that will benefit from a time in the bottle.
Average oak ageing
Aged for 21 months in new French oak barrels.
Review:
Lots of depth here, with ripe blackberries and some nicely baked black cherries, roasted herbs, incense, dark spices, mussels and a balsamic tinge. An admirably fine dollop of tannins on the palate, which are immaculate and juicy, as they thoroughly dunk into the black fruit, melting into a persistent finish that lasts for over a minute. Very impressive. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 96 Points
Showing 1 to 2 of 2 (1 Pages)
- back
Selected Options
Wineries
Categories
Pricing
Countries
Regions
Grape Types
Wineries
Organic/Free Shipping
A deep powerful Gran Reserva from one of Rioja Alavesa’s most enduring family run wineries. The hillside terraced vineyards are sheltered by the Sierra Cantabria Mountains to the north from harsh weather extremes. Small plot production is utilized in this region of infertile chalky clay soil to produce clusters of excellent quality. Almost 900 plots are needed to complete the approximately 400 hectares of estate-owned or cellar-controlled vineyards, some with vines more than 100 years in age.
Tasting notes
Ruby red color with earthy tones. The wine shows finesse, elegance and complexity with good concentration of black fruit, thyme and rosemary with secondary aromas of leather and tobacco leaves. In the palate it is polished and rounded, making it pleasant and easy to drink. Fleshy with both elegance and power. It has touches of black fruit jam and liquorice. A long, delicious and persistent finish.
Suitable for pairing with a long, copious meal where it can accommodate braised vegetables, cold cuts, peppers stuffed with hake and shrimp, mushroom omelettes, cod Rioja style, both red and white meat... and so on.
Review:
"Lastly, the 2017 Rioja Gran Reserva checks in as 95% Tempranillo and 5% Graciano aged 24 months in French and American oak. It's another deeply hued red from this producer that has a complex, impeccably made style. Cedary red and black fruits, smoky tobacco, vanilla bean, and charcoal notes giveway to a rich, powerful Rioja that has ample structure, medium to full body, building tannins, and a great finish. This smoky, complex, satisfying effort will evolve for another 10-15 years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (Importer Highlight: Fran Kysela ; July 2024), 94 pts
La Spinona Barbaresco Secondine is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
This single-vineyard Barbaresco comes from his 3.5 hectares on the cru of Secondine. It is the commune of Barbaresco below the zone of Rabaja Basa and Paje and is where Gaja’s San Lorenzo is located. It is 230 meters above sea level with a southern exposure.
Excellent with game, red meats, truffle dishes and aged cheeses.
Color: Deep ruby red with a hint of garnet in the reflections.
Bouquet: Bright bouquet full of cherries, raspberries, licorice and floral notes.
Taste: Elegant and refined with delicate, soft tannins. It is fresh, velvety and extremely well balanced.
Review:
Notes of blood orange, dried strawberries, tea leaves and lavender. Some dry earth, too. Firm and steady with tension and focus. Medium to full body. Tannins are compact and lightly chewy. Velvety finish. Drink after 2025.
-James Suckling 94 Points
©2025 Timeless Wines. All rights reserved
