Alión 2018

Produced by the legendary Vega Sicilia winery through its brand Bodegas Alión, the red wine Alión is a faithful portrait of one of Spain’s most esteemed wine producing regions.

Made solely from Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo), this varietal Spanish red wine is sourced from a handful of parcels located near Padilla de Duero, Valbuena de Duero and Pesquera de Duero, in the heart of DO Ribera del Duero. Covering 70 hectares in total, the vineyards are 35 years old on average.

Cooler and rainier than the average, the 2018 vintage of Alión was an Atlantic vintage which gave the grapes plenty of time to ripen slowly and steadily. During the process, they also achieved near ideal levels of natural acidity.

Harvest took place from September 28 to October 12 and was carried out by hand. After that, this red wine from Ribera del Duero went through a very meticulous winemaking process, a common feature of all the Vega Sicilia wines.

First, the wine was fermented in 42 little wooden diposits under controlled temperature, with a very precise extraction of tannin and colour aimed at achieving the desired balance and structure. Then the red wine Alión 2018 was transferred into concrete tanks and 80% new French and American (10%) oak barrels, in which it was aged for 14 months. The American oak was used to give the wine a mellower and sweeter character.

Bottled in June 2020, this Crianza red wine was aged for some further months in the bottle before hitting the market.

Decant 1 hour before drinking.

257,257 Bordeaux bottles and 7,005 magnums produced.