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Alíon 2008 75cl

DO | Ribera del Duero | Castilla y León | Spain
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Critics scores
95 Robert Parker
If I was asked to hold up a bottle of what modern Ribera del Duero should taste like and what is should aspire to, the 2008 Alion would be the one in my hand. It has more intensity and volume on the nose when compared directly with the 2007. Tasted in February 2012, and then in January 2013, it remains a fabulous expression of Ribera del Duero. It boasts of heavenly bouquet of black plum, crushed violets and tobacco that soar from the glass, while displaying a level of delineation that would serve a lesson to many of its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, silky-smooth tannins that belie the structure underneath. The acidity lends the 2008 a little more edginess than the 2007, while the finish has a wonderful sense of symmetry and focus. World class. Drink 2016-2025+. Alion should need no introduction. Owned by the Alvarez family of Vega Sicilia, the 85 hectare estate included 35 hectares around the winery and 50 hectares with Vega Sicilia itself. Debuting in 1991, the wine is sourced from 20-year-old Tinto Fino that undergoes a modern style of winemaking, using state-of-the-art technology and maturation in Nevers French oak barrels for 12 to 14 months. Pablo Alvarez describes Alion as “a wine somewhere between Ribera del Duero and a Medoc in style.”
Producer
Bodegas Vega Sicilia
Spain’s most famous red wine producer, Vega Sicilia consistently produces the best distinct blends from the Ribera del Duero, in both style and approach. Located in Valbuena de Duero, the estate has been in the Álvarez family since 1982, and has remained the largest in the country, with about 1000 hectares of property – 25% of which are planted to vines. Their top wine, Unico, is a delicious blend of Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and Cabernet Sauvignon. Unico benefits from extended cask-maturation time that has been perfected to preserve amble freshness in the finished wine. Then there is also the exceptional Reserva Especial, a non-vintage, which is a blend of the top selections, and is traditionally aged for 10 years consisting of mostly Tinto Fino, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The second wine coming from Ribera del Duero’s most influential vineyard is Valbuena, which has more present fruit character, a cuvée of Tinto Fino, Malbec and Merlot.