Bodgeas Alion
(Vega Sicilia) 2018 Tinto Ribera del Duero
(Castilla Leon, Spain) - [JS 96] [WA 95+] [DM 95] [W 91]

Alion was launched with the 1991 vintage by the famous Vega Sicilia estate. Inspired by the "modern classic" style of top Bordeaux, owner Pablo Alvarez wished to adapt this style of wine to the unique climate and soils in the western Ribera del Duero. Around half the grapes come from Vega Sicilia vineyards, the other half from Alion's own vineyards near Penafiel. The wine is made by Javier Ausas, head winemaker of Vega Sicilia, at Alion's dedicated, state-of-the-art winery. Alion is certainly a modern wine, an opulent and seductive 100% Tempranillo aged for 14 months in new French oak barrels, but - as one would expect from Vega Sicilia - there is nothing over-the-top about the wine. Not overripe, over-extracted or over-oaked, it is all about elegance, harmony, class...and sheer hedonistic pleasure.

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.

This vintage marks the first time the winery has used their new winemaking facility, with tanks at half the capacity, enabling greater precision during extraction. They increased the 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.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Alcohol by volume 15 %
Variety Tinto Fino
Average age of vineyard 38 years
Vineyard surface area 70 ha (Padilla de Duero, Valbuena de Duero and Pesquera de Duero)
Planting density: 2,222 plants/ha
Altitude: 750 m
Yield: 3,800 kg/ha - 26.6 Hl/ha
Harvest: Hand-picked in 12 kg crates from September 28th to October 12th

Ratings and Reviews

96 Points - James Suckling:
"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." (Feb, 2022)

95+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2018 Alión follows the path of the 2016: it is fresh and elegant and from a cooler (more Atlantic) vintage with more rain than the average and a relatively late harvest between September 28th and October 12th. They used 80% new barrels, with up to 10% made of American oak looking to (in their own words) give more sucrosity and sweetness to the wine, as it's a more vertical, tense and elegant expression of Alión. Part of the wine matured in concrete (something they started in 2016), and in 2021 they are experimenting with a 4,000-liter Rousseau foudre, as they want to keep working the texture and freshness. The wine is ripe at 15% alcohol and has a pH of 3.8 and a mellow 4.6 grams of acidity, round and soft. The wine matured until it was bottled in June 2020. The truth is that the wine comes through as subtle, elegant and balanced, with very integrated oak and a nice texture. It's one of the finest vintages for Alión. 257,257 bottles, 7,005 magnums and some larger formats produced." - (30 Dec, 2021)

95 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"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." - Sarah Jane Evans MW (Jun 2021)

91 Points - Wine Spectator:
"A harmonious red, with a core of ripe black plum and cassis fruit layered with fine, creamy tannins. Medium- to full-bodied and plush on the palate, offering pretty violet, dried thyme and mocha accents and an underpinning of loamy earth, which linger on the sculpted finish. Best from 2023 through 2033. 21,483 cases made, 978 cases imported." - AN (Jul 2022)