2015 Aalto, PS, Ribera del Duero DO

Saturated ruby. Assertive aromas of cassis, blackberry, cherry preserves, vanilla and potpourri, plus oak spice and mineral topnotes. Alluringly sweet and concentrated, offering intense black and blue fruit, mocha, bitter chocolate and candied lavender flavors supported by an undercurrent of juicy acidity. Steadily building tannins add shape and grip to an extremely long, juicy finish that emphatically echoes the dark berry and floral notes.

I find the 2015 PS to be a little marked by the élevage from a dry and warm year that resulted in a concentrated wine. The grapes come from La Horra, La Aguilera and Hontoria, and they used a little more grapes from La Horra. This is a ripe, heady, concentrated Tempranillo with abundant, grainy tannins. It's a wine for fans of the style and needs several years in bottle to balance its tannins. This reaches 15% alcohol. It's a different style from the regular Aalto from this same year, but it's not necessarily better, just a matter of taste. 35,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2017.

Deep crimson. Less immediately aromatic than the straight Aalto, more tucked in and even darker and more concentrated. Very intense, oaky, chewy texture. Not really the sort of wine I choose to drink but nicely balanced in its oaky, dark-fruited way. Wait. (JH)