Our View:
From the stables of the world famous Vega Sicilia, Alión comes from a careful selection of terroirs dotted across the very best areas of the Ribera del Duero DO. These complementary soils, along with the same winemaking process as Vega Sicilia, have given rise to generously structured wines.
2019 was a potent, concentrated, juicy vintage, yet with a sensual and unctuous side too.
The Wine:
Alión is formed by a careful selection of plots spread across the best of Ribera del Duero. These plots, which complement each other, joined by the same viticulture as Vega Sicilia, have given rise to firm structured wines.
2019 was a drier vintage than normal, which was also noted during the grape tasting. Potent, concentrated skins, yet with a very firm structure. Work essentially started with extraction to develop a vintage for which we reduced total vatting for fermentation to around 11 days. The odd batch was refined before being barrelled and reducing the impact of the wood and the toast is important for this type of vintage. Adding concrete helped us to work on the verticality and freshness of the wines.
Tasting Note:
As James Suckling himself commented in his review:
"Ripe, tarry plums and black cherries with violets, rocks, coffee and graphite. Refined notes of balsamic fruit and cocoa powder, too. Full-bodied and juicy with an iron fist of tannins, yet at the same time so velvety and polished. Very long, focused finish, showing lots of finesse and layers".
The Facts:
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Wine
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Vega Sicilia Alión
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Vintage
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2019
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Style
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Red Wine
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Grape Variety
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100% Tempranillo (Tinto Fino) |
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Alcohol Content
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15%
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Closure
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Natural cork
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Bottle Size
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750ml
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What the critics say:
95 Points - James Suckling, June 2022
Ripe, tarry plums and black cherries with violets, rocks, coffee and graphite. Refined notes of balsamic fruit and cocoa powder, too. Full-bodied and juicy with an iron fist of tannins, yet at the same time so velvety and polished. Very long, focused finish, showing lots of finesse and layers. Drinkable now, but better after 2025.
94 points -Tim Atkin, timatkin.com
Alión is a pan-Ribera blend, using grapes spread over 70 hectares, principally in the Burgos villages of La Aguilera, Moradillo de Roa and Roa. Aged in a combination of concrete and 70% new French and 5% American oak, this was picked early to counter the heat of the vintage. It's bright, focused and acid-driven, with scented wood and blueberry and black cherry fruit. Will age gracefully for a decade or more.
Drink 2024-35
