2001 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero P.S.

Community Tasting Notes (43) Avg Score: 93.4 points

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  10/21/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 96 Points

  Magnificent.
  
  I was lucky enough to have purchased a half dozen bottles of this wine shortly after release. A decade later, I was pleased to see that this specific vintage (the '01) was included in "1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die" (edited by Neil Beckett). That is certainly true, and, unlike many of the far more famous wines in that volume, the Aalto PS is not exactly a household name. It should be.
  
  Even at age 22, this is a wine of great power. It not, however, a "fruit bomb" but a perfectly balanced wine with a wonderful long finish. It is a wine to enjoy with a hearty dinner, and pairs beautifully with red meat, game or even (as I found last night) a perfectly roasted chicken. If anything, this bottle (a Christmas gift in '22) was in even better shape than the last one I had.
  
  If you haven't experienced a great Ribera del Duero, this is a superb place to start -- and at a small fraction of the price of Vega Sicilia's offerings, it is an astonishing bargain.

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  7/28/2023 - hsunch@yahoo.com wrote: 90 Points

  This wine obviously would have been a great bottle a few years back, with complex nose and palate. But this bottle was past its prime, and has developed some unpleasant flavors which is unfortunate.

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  4/9/2023 - bigbass250 Likes this wine:

  Nothing more special than Easter I'd say to open and enjoy

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  2/22/2023 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 94 Points

  not blind
  Really in good shape. Still fresh, oak and alcohol well integrated, not jammy, good structure and still some dark berry fruits. At his peak, no hurry. Not really elegant but not a typical Parker as you would guess. 94-95

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  11/5/2022 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 96 Points

  My last bottle from a case purchased soon after release, I had saved this for a very special occasion. Enjoyed at a wonderful restaurant with my son on my birthday, with superb rack of lamb.
  
  Though the critics have this as "old", and it's 5 years past the CT drinking window, and despite the restaurant's report that the cork crumbled when they opened it, after decanting for about 60-90 minutes, it was absolutely singing. The fruit was livelier than I remember the last bottle being two years ago. Great length and complexity. The finest bottle of Ribera del Duero I've ever had, and up there with the best Tempranillo (Murrieta Ygay '05 and an LRA Gran Riserva I had at Lasarte in Barcelona are the most memorable competitors). Spectacular!

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