2012 Aalto, PS, Ribera del Duero DO

The 2012 Aalto PS was cropped from a warm, ripe vintage when the grapes were very healthy. This cuvée of selected old vineyards is always matured in new French oak barrels for some 22-24 months. It's still a baby full of aromas of sweet spices, cinnamon and vanilla, also cloves and black peppercorns over the core of ripe plums, black cherries and a smoky, still oaky character. It has sweeter tannins and it is more accessible right now than the 2013 PS because it is rounder and fleshier. But in the long run the 2013 should age longer. This is a style that is very popular, ripe, showy and generously oaked. 20,000 bottles produced.

Bright purple. Sexy, expressive aromas of cassis, candied licorice, Indian spices and toasty oak, along with notes of incense and mocha. Sweet, pliant and expansive on the palate, offering intense black and blue fruit and floral pastille flavors that become livelier and spicier with air. Dense but vibrant and light on its feet, finishing with excellent clarity and mineral-driven thrust.