Alion 2018

Alion is owned by Bodegas Vega Sicilia and comes from selected parcels in Ribera Del Duero. Alion is made on Tinto Fino, which is synonymous with Tempranillo. As with all Vega Sicilia's wines, extremely low yields are used, resulting in enormous concentration in the final wine. The high concentration also means that Alion 2018 can be stored for up to 20 years from the harvest year. Vega Sicilia themselves describe their 2018 Alion as potent and concentrated with a sensual and elegant side.

Alion 's Tempranillo (Tinto Fino) comes from vineyards aged 25 to 30 years. The harvest takes place earlier than at Vega Sicilia and the wine is aged for 16 months in new wooden barrels.

Robert Parker
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.