Aster Finca El Otero
⏳ Drinking Window
2025 - 2035
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Traditional Spanish roast suckling lamb (lechazo), grilled prime ribeye steak, and aged sheep's milk cheeses such as Manchego.
✨ Technical Specifications
La Rioja Alta, S.A., renowned for its historic Rioja estates, ventured into the rugged landscapes of Ribera del Duero in 1991, establishing Bodegas Aster in the premium subregion of Anguix. Finca El Otero represents the absolute pinnacle of this project. Sourced from a single, low-yielding vineyard perched at an altitude of 830 meters, the 100% Tinta del Pais (Tempranillo) vines struggle in poor, clay-loam soils under extreme continental conditions. This natural adversity yields grapes of extraordinary concentration and character. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in new French oak barrels, followed by 16 months of aging in the same wood. The result is a masterful expression of Ribera del Duero, combining the muscular power and dark-fruit intensity of the region with the signature elegance, balance, and meticulous craftsmanship for which La Rioja Alta is globally celebrated.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1890 in Haro's iconic Barrio de la Estación by five Basque and Riojan families, La Rioja Alta S.A. stands as an archetype of classical Spanish viticulture. Operating extensive estate holdings across Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa—complemented by satellites Torre de Oña in Páganos, Áster in Ribera del Duero, and Lagar de Cervera in Rías Baixas—the estate relies upon calcareous-clay and alluvial soils tempered by Atlantic and continental microclimates. The viticultural approach prioritizes meticulous canopy management, estate-grown fruit, and low-impact sustainable husbandry. In the cellar, the bodega is renowned for its in-house cooperage of seasoned American oak, manual barrel racking by candlelight every six months, and remarkably patient oxidative maturation. The resulting wines—exemplified by Viña Ardanza, Viña Arana, and the majestic Gran Reserva 890 and 904—display exceptional longevity, savory complexity, fine-grained tannins, and vibrant Atlantic freshness.
🍇 Grapes
Tempranillo (Tinto Fino min 75%), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec