Deep ruby color; dark cherry, blackberry, blueberry, plum, blackcurrant, licorice, chocolate, coffee, spice on the nose and palate.
Dry; fine, chalky tannins; medium acidity; smooth, plush in the mouth. Medium-plus body. Good structure with dark fruit and tannins lingering on extended finish. Pure tempranillo (tinta del país) play. Grapes underwent cold maceration to emphasize aroma and color. After blending fruits from three plots, half of the grapes underwent malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the other half underwent malolactic fermentation in second-use French oak. The lots were combined and aged one year in 20% new oak with two manual rackings. Bottled after four months in tanks. 14.5% ABV
Bodegas Áster is the latest effort by the La Rioja Alta group. The group traces roots to 1890 when five Riojan and Basque families founded the Sociedad Vinícola de La Rioja Alta. A woman, Doña Saturnina García Cid y Gárate was the first president. In 1904, Don Alfredo Ardanza, a La Rioja Alta founder, merged his Ardanza Winery into the operation. In 1941, the company settled upon it present name, La Rioja Alta, S.A.
The group celebrated its 100th birthday in 1990 with plantings for a new winery, Áster—maker of this wine. In 2015, Top Merchant picked Bodegas Áster’s Finca El Otero as the best wine in the world. In 2019, Wine Spectator selected La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 as one of the best wines in the world.
The Áster winery was built in 2000. The winery experimented and fine-tuned for five years before releasing their first wine. The website notes of this wine: “we renew our portfolio with a renewed style in Áster Crianza, with what is probably the best vintage ever made of Finca El Otero, and with the launch of a new brand that represents a new milestone for us: Áster El Espino.”
Bodegas Áster El Espino, Ribera del Duero 2020 is made to emphasize elegance, refinement, subtlety, and balance. Sleek, seductive, vibrant. A deliberate step away from classic Ribero del Duero bombast and power. Pair with milk-fed lamb; lighter beef dishes; barbecue and grilled meats; roast chicken and duck; wild game—venison, wild boar, wild turkey; burgers and tacos; meatloaf; roasted vegetables; polenta; pasta with tomato sauces; lasagna and pizza. Cheese—cheddar, idiazabal, zamorano, manchego, gruyère, stilton; sheep’s milk cheeses in general. $39-50
