Javier Zaccagnini, one half of Aalto, long had a dream of a personal project to produce a very specific style of Tinto Fino from Ribera del Duero. In 2012 this dream became reality when, after a number of discarded vintages, he nailed down the process that would allow him to articulate his vision. In two years the resulting wines, Sei Solo and Preludio have quickly become a red hot ticket in our yearly Spanish offering. In 2014, they’ve reached new heights.
The vines for Preludio and Sei Solo average 60-90 years old and all come from the top Ribera villa of La Horra, home to the production for Aalto PS, Pingus, Alion and other local luminaries. Old vines in Ribera produce excellent fruit; limiting vegetative growth and focusing energies on the level ripening of painfully small crops. The village of La Horra produces wines with a very clear identity, the hallmarks being mineral power and brooding strength. Javier’s vision is to tame the strength of La Horra with a dose of finesse. This he achieves through slow, spontaneous fermentation, extended malolactic fermentation and the use of larger 600 litre demi-muid barrels, none of which are new. Indeed there is no new oak in the process at all. The results are sublime examples of grace, strength and precision. The blended but not yet bottled 2014s looked exceptionally aromatic, dark fruited and finely textured at our tasting last week, excellent examples of this superb Ribera vintage.