Bodegas Aalto

A Visionary Partnership Founded in 1999 by two icons of Spanish viticulture, Mariano García (the legendary master winemaker who spent 30 years shaping Vega Sicilia) and Javier Zaccagnini (former director of the region’s regulatory council), Bodegas Aalto was built with a singular, unyielding goal: to show the world the absolute heights that old-vine Tempranillo can achieve. Operating out of a state-of-the-art, gravity-fed winery in Quintanilla de Arriba, Aalto has earned a permanent place among the greatest cult producers in Spain, celebrated for wines that balance immense structural power with opulent, modern refinement.

The Trilogy of Success: Variety, Terroir, and Experience Aalto’s winemaking philosophy rests entirely on three foundational pillars:

• 100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo): The winery works exclusively with Ribera del Duero’s signature clone of Tempranillo, celebrated for its thick skins, concentrated juices, and natural, bright acidity.

• A Panoply of Microclimates: Instead of relying on a single plot, Aalto sources its fruit from exceptional old-vine parcels (ranging from 40 to over 90 years old) spread across nine different villages in the provinces of Burgos and Valladolid. This mosaic of diverse clay, limestone, and gravel soils injects unparalleled complexity into the final blends.

• The Touch of Mariano García: Using a non-interventionalist philosophy, the grapes are harvested entirely by hand, strictly sorted, and moved through the cellar via gravity to preserve the absolute purity of the fruit.

The Focused Portfolio Fulfilling its dedication to absolute quality over quantity, Bodegas Aalto focuses its mastery on crafting just two primary red expressions:

• Aalto (The Flagship): The definitive benchmark of the house style. Aged for 16 to 24 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels, it offers a dramatic, deep purple hue. The nose explodes with aromas of ripe black plums, licorice, roasted espresso, and sweet tobacco leaf, while the palate remains beautifully rounded and lively on its feet.

• Aalto PS (Pagos Seleccionados): Translating to "Selected Plots," this is the winery’s crown jewel, produced only in exceptional vintages. Sourced from the oldest, lowest-yielding pre-phylloxera vines in La Horra and La Aguilera, it spends up to 30 months in 100% new French oak. It is an immortal, monumental red with vast aging potential, displaying a velvety texture wrapped around concentrated dark fruits, graphite minerality, and silky, structured tannins.

A Sovereign Choice for Serious Cellars Mariano García once famously used a car comparison to explain the estate, stating that if Vega Sicilia was a classic Mercedes, Ainto was a high-performance, modern Audi. These wines are unapologetically intense, dense, and thoroughbred expressions of Ribera del Duero. While they possess the roundness and beautifully integrated oak to be enjoyed with a decant in their youth, their massive volume and balance ensure they will age gracefully for two to three decades. At the dinner table, they serve as the ultimate counterpart to a grilled ribeye steak, roasted rosemary lamb stew, or extra-aged Manchego cheese.

Shop Bodegas Aalto at ZYN Discover the depth of our Bodegas Aalto collection in-store at ZYN Calgary or browse our curated inventory online at ZYN.ca. We offer expert-led selection for collectors and enthusiasts looking to secure Spain's ultimate modern expression.