alion ribera del duero 2019 750ml

Ground-breaking and independent, and the result of the evolution of a famous family of great wines.

Recognised, distinguished and praised for the authenticity of its temperament, Alión today symbolises a universal and forward—looking spirit.

Wine produced using the Tinto Fino variety. The grapes are harvest by hand in 12-kg boxes and are taken immediately to the winery to the sorting tables. Fermentation takes place in wooden tanks under controlled temperatures until a good polyphenolic structure is obtained which will provide the generous colour and firm structure that makes up part of the personality of this wine; and finally the ageing of between 12 and 14 months, depending on the characteristics of the vintage, is performed in full in new French oak Bordeaux barrels. These barrels, from the leading Bordeaux firms, are a significant investment in oak as, harvest after harvest, all the wine that is produced in Alión will be aged in new barrels that, after the wine is decanted to be bottle, will not be used again by the winery.

Once the wine is removed from the barrels, it will remain no less than 15 months in the stillness of the bottle, where it will end up assembling all the primary aromas of the fruit with the hues from its delicate ageing, resulting in an intense, complex and fleshy wine, but where the elegance is a distinguishing feature and hallmark of the winery.

DESCRIPTION

Alión comes from a careful selection of terroirs dotted across the very best areas of the Ribera del Duero DO. These soils, which complement each other, along with the same winemaking process as Vega Sicilia, have given rise to wines with a firm structure.

2017 was the 'vintage of the frost' (April 28), but this affected us less than it could have, thanks to our policy of producing 25 % more than we need, and to the double pruning carried out in the winter.

In this drier and warmer vintage, the contribution of oak was reduced, using 72 % new barrel, 18 % used barrel and 10 % concrete, with a view to working on the tannin texture, on the one hand, and the freshness and journey of the wine, on the other.

2017 was a challenging vintage, but with a glorious end result, sustaining the genuine, modern and multicultural character of Alión of somewhat warmer and firmer expression.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM:

JS95, James Suckling

"Lots of chocolate and berry with some coffee-bean and vanilla undertones. It’s full and layered with plenty of fruit, round tannins and pleasing complexity of smoked and toasted wood. Tar undertone."

RP94, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2017 Alión, the only wine produced here, comes from a challenging year marked by spring frost and a warm and dry end of the season, so they reduced the amount of new oak by 8%. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, and 10% of the volume aged in concrete, completely unoaked. The change in the oak regimen helped with the style of the vintage, which was marked by the frost that hit part of the Alión vineyards. Furthermore, the end of the season was warm and dry, and they had to work to control ripeness and power and perhaps the possibility of more aggressive tannins. It's a classical Alión, with some developed aromas, juicy and round but not heavy, with just a tad of earthy rusticity. With time, it develops more balsamic notes and hints of licorice. 230,032 bottles, 7,04 magnums, 614 double magnums and a handful of bigger sizes were produced. It was bottled in June 2019."

750ml Bottle