Vega Sicilia Alion 2018

Description

100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo)

Alión comes from carefully selected terroirs located in the very best areas of the Ribera del Duero DO region.
The soils complement each other and along with the same winemaking process used in Vega Sicilia, they have produced wines with a firm structure.
The 2018 vintage reflects weather influenced by the Atlantic, with higher-than-average precipitation, cool temperatures, and a relatively late harvest, between 28 September and 12 October.
We used our new wine-making facility for the first time, with smaller tanks, of half the capacity, enabling greater precision during extraction. We increased the effect of new oak on this vintage by up to 80 %, with American oak representing 10 %, targeting a more generous wine.
2018 was a fresh, Atlantic-influenced vintage, giving this Alión a more vertical, longer, and elegant expression.

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.

“96/100. Fresh and very floral with violets and berries. Blackberries and orange peel, too. Medium-to full-bodied with firm, linear tannins. Excellent length and structure. Seriously structured, Better after 2024, but already beautiful.” (James Suckling 23.11.21.)

“95/100. Vega Sicilia’s other expression of Ribera del Duero. Originally purchased grapes were used to build a modern style; today the winery owns almost 70% of the vineyard and is aiming for 100%. A focus on precision in winery saw grapes going into 42 separate deposits. Oak has been reined back from 100% new; with just 10% American oak. Very fine floral aromatics and an equally refined palate. Dark fruits lifted by citrus freshness, a vivid style, finishing intense and long with juicy plums. 2024 – 2030” (Sarah Jane Evans MW, Decanter, 01 Jul 2021)