ALION Tempos Vega Sicilia - Ribera del Duero 2017 Bottle

Description

The 2017 Alión is a stunning expression from Ribera del Duero, showcasing the depth and craftsmanship characteristic of this esteemed winery. Crafted from 100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo), it has garnered impressive accolades, including 95 points from James Suckling, who praised its chocolate, berry, and coffee aromas, complemented by round tannins and complex oak influences. The Wine Advocate awarded it 94 points, noting its classical style with juicy, round fruit reflecting the challenging vintage conditions, balanced by reduced new oak. Vinous also rated it 94 points, highlighting its dense, spice-laced flavors and impressive depth. Jancis Robinson gave it 17 points, remarking on its firm structure and rich earthy notes. This full-bodied wine, at 15% ABV, is perfect for aging or enjoying now with hearty dishes like roast meat and slow-cooked beef.

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100% TEMPRANILLO (TINTO FINO)
Alión comes from carefully selected terroirs located in the very best areas of the Ribera del Duero DO region. The soils complement each other, and allied with the same winemaking process used in Vega Sicilia, they have produced wines with a firm structure.

JAMES SUCKLING 95 points
Lots of chocolate and berry with some coffee-bean and vanilla undertones. It’s full and layered with plenty of fruit, round tannins and pleasing complexity of smoked and toasted wood. Tar undertone. Very drinkable now, but better after 2022.

THE WINE ADVOCATE 94 points
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
Drink Date: 2021 - 2026
The 2017 Alión, the only wine produced here, comes from a challenging year marked by spring frost and a warm and dry end of the season, so they reduced the amount of new oak by 8%. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, and 10% of the volume aged in concrete, completely unoaked. The change in the oak regimen helped with the style of the vintage, which was marked by the frost that hit part of the Alión vineyards. Furthermore, the end of the season was warm and dry, and they had to work to control ripeness and power and perhaps the possibility of more aggressive tannins. It's a classical Alión, with some developed aromas, juicy and round but not heavy, with just a tad of earthy rusticity. With time, it develops more balsamic notes and hints of licorice. 230,032 bottles, 7,04 magnums, 614 double magnums and a handful of bigger sizes were produced. It was bottled in June 2019.

VINOUS 94 points
Opaque ruby. Primary dark fruit, floral and vanilla aromas are sharpened by a spicy suggestion of cracked pepper and woodsmoke, and licorice notes build in the glass. Juicy and smooth on the palate, offering densely packed, spice-laced bitter cherry, blackberry and fruitcake flavors that firm up slowly with aeration. Shows superb depth as well as energy on the impressively long finish, which is firmed by youthfully gripping tannins. - Josh Raynolds

JANCIS ROBINSON 17 points
It is a firm, hard Alión, with lots of black fruit and hints of ash. A very rooty vintage, rich in humus and organic notes; to decant and to leave open for a while, with a closed nose but which will grow. With all these deep and earthy notes, it surprises with its more polished and fresh palate, with a lot of intensity of flavour, very polished tannins and just memories of forest floor. An Alión with tension, which will undoubtedly evolve very well. (FC)