Why it matters
The producer
Viñedos y Bodegas Aster is La Rioja Alta S.A.'s estate in Ribera del Duero, the appellation along the Duero River in Castilla y León where Tinta del País, the local name for Tempranillo, grows at elevations above 700 metres on clay and loamy-sandy soils. La Rioja Alta S.A. is a century-old house based in Haro in the Rioja Alta. Moving into Ribera del Duero was not a quick lateral expansion: the house spent the better part of a decade studying the soils and selecting land before making any commitment. The first Aster wines came in 2001, from parcels in the Burgos municipalities of La Horra and Anguix.
The winery itself was built in the French château style, a departure from the industrial functionality of many Ribera estates of that era. It houses four guest suites, a private dining room with a direct view into the barrel cellar, and facilities for guided tours and vineyard walks. The estate is simultaneously a focused single-parcel wine project and a destination built for close engagement with what grows and ferments there.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Ribera del Duero is a DO running east to west along the Duero River, mostly through the province of Burgos at elevations between 750 and 900 metres. The altitude moderates summer heat and sharpens the diurnal temperature swings that keep Tinta del País from becoming jammy. Cold nights during the growing season extend phenolic development and allow acidity to accumulate alongside ripeness, producing Ribera wines with their characteristic combination of dark fruit and firm grip.
Aster's vineyards divide between La Horra and Anguix, two Burgos municipalities a short distance from each other within the DO. La Horra lies on clay soils; Anguix adds loamy-sandy ground at roughly 800 metres. Both support Tinta del País, but the soil differences translate into two distinct range positions. Clay gives weight, colour depth, and tannin to Finca El Otero; the sandier loam of El Espino's Anguix plot produces a lighter frame and softer tannins that allow the wine to be opened earlier.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
All Aster wines are 100% Tinta del País. Tinta del País is Tempranillo as it grows on the Ribera plateau: the altitude and Burgos continental climate produce a grape that is darker and firmer than its Rioja counterpart, with higher natural acidity and tannins that require time to soften. The double cordon training system used across both vineyards controls canopy and limits the vine's tendency to overcrop, which keeps concentration in the fruit.
Finca El Otero goes through one week of natural pre-fermentation cold maceration before fermentation begins. Cold maceration extracts colour compounds and aromatic precursors from the grape skins without extracting coarse tannins, because the low temperature inhibits the yeast and enzymatic activity needed for fermentation. This produces a wine that opens with layered complexity while retaining the firm backbone typical of Ribera Tinta del País.
Wines to know
The range in view
The Aster range has two wines, each from a distinct parcel and built for a different moment.
Finca El Otero is sourced from the El Otero parcel in Anguix on clay soils. It is 100% Tinta del País aged to develop the spice and secondary character that cold-macerated Ribera fruit can carry. The nose is dense: ripe blackcurrants and blueberries over balsamic notes of mocha, clove, vanilla, and nutmeg, with a thread of menthol beneath. The colour is intense ruby with a deep garnet rim, indicating both the clay-soil extraction and the ageing potential in the wine. This is a bottle that rewards patience.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Finca El Otero is the bottle to start with. It is a single-parcel Tinta del País from the first vineyard La Rioja Alta S. A. ever acquired in Ribera del Duero, cold-macerated before fermentation to build aromatic complexity, and grown on clay with genuine tannin weight and depth of colour. In the glass it offers ripe blackcurrant and blueberry fruit above a balsamic base of mocha, clove, and nutmeg, with firm acidity holding the wine together across a long finish. Open it with roast lamb or aged cheese, or lay it down for a few years if you want the full arc.