Bodegas Alion
(Vega Sicilia) Tinto Ribera del Duero 2019
(Castilla Leon, Spain) - [WE 95] [JS 95] [WA 94] [WS 92]

About the Wine:
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.

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.

2019 was a potent, concentrated, juicy vintage, yet with a sensual and unctuous side too.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Alcohol by volume 15 %
Variety Tinto Fino
Average age of vineyard 39 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

Ratings and Reviews

95 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"Deep violet-red to the eye, this wine offers a bouquet of black cherry, rose petal and baking spice. Luxurious tannins and nicely balanced acidity support flavors of blackberry preserves, chocolate-covered espresso bean and anisette. The lengthy finish is marked with notes of lavender and spice." - Mike deSimone (May 2024)

95 Points - James Suckling:
"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." (Jun 2022)

94 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2019 Alión was cropped from a drier vintage compared with the average, and the wines from that year tend to be powerful, concentrated and with structure. They shortened the maceration by 11 days and used concrete for part of the élevage, trying to reduce the impact from the oak in the wine. They define 2019 as a powerful, concentrated and juicy vintage, sensual and unctuous. The wine is ripe at 15% alcohol and has mellow acidity (4.4 grams) and a pH of 3.88, reflecting the warm and dry year that delivered powerful and concentrated wines, similar to the wines from 2015. It's quite fruit-driven, ripe and juicy, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins despite the limited pumping over they did to avoid extracting too much, and the maceration was also shortened." - Luis Gutierrez (Jan 2023)

92 Points - Wine Spectator:
"While tightly meshed and structured by firm, chalky tannins, this red has a plush, polished frame matched to a pretty range of boysenberry coulis, violet, mocha and Earl Grey flavors. Reveals hints of tar and black licorice that linger on the juicy finish. Drink now through 2029. 21,377 cases made, 1,360 cases imported." - Alison Napjus (Jul 2023)