B-21 Top Recommendation
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Crafted by the team behind the legendary La Rioja Alta, the fresh and appealing 93 pt. 2020 Bodegas Aster Crianza offers juicy ripe dark fruit layered with zesty spice and well-integrated tannins on a long and focused finish, a beautifully balanced, easy to drink Ribera del Duero that's bargain priced for Spanish wine lovers to enjoy often over the next decade.
After searching for a prime parcel to produce Ribera de Duero beginning in the 1980's, iconic producer La Rioja Alta purchased 95 hectares between the towns of La Horra and Anguix south of Burgos and planted 76 hectares with the local clone of Tempranillo in 1991, naming the project Bodegas Aster after the late blooming Spanish flower. Located at an altitude of 780 meters, the estate's Tinta del Pais vines are planted in silty-loam soils laced with limestone and iron in a prime, high-altitude terroir described as home of "the best wines" in the region by critic Tim Atkin, enjoying warm days for optimal ripening with cool night temps that preserve the grapes' freshness and acidity. Produced in the estate's modern winery since 2002, the wines of Bodegas Aster have demonstrated "a remarkable increase in the quality" according to Luis Gutierrez Wine Advocate since their first harvests where most of the young fruit was sold off, the sustainably farmed vines maturing over the last decades to produce exceptional quality fruit deemed worthy of the estate's high standards. Fermenting the hand harvested 100% Tempranillo grapes in French oak barrels, La Rioja Alta's veteran winemaker Julio Saenz aged the impressive 2020 Bodegas Aster Crianza for 16 months in 75% new French oak barrels and the remainder in second-use French oak with extended time in bottle, yielding juicy ripe fruit with nuances of smokey spice and a smooth, silky texture that beckons for another taste.
From a top producer renowned for crafting "wines that speak about where they come from" according to Neal Martin of Vinous, the elegant 93 pt. Bodegas Aster Crianza offers Ribera del Duero's signature full-bodied richness with layered fine tannins that promise longevity, a terrific value for fans of terroir-driven Tempranillo expertly crafted by one of Spain's most storied estates. | 
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