ALION Tempos Vega Sicilia - Ribera del Duero 2020 Bottle

Description

The 2020 Alión is a standout wine from Ribera del Duero, showcasing elegance and finesse despite the challenges posed by the vintage. Scoring 95 points from The Wine Advocate, it embodies balance and freshness, resulting from careful vineyard management and a focus on optimal ripeness. The blend of 100% Tempranillo reflects the rich terroir, featuring prominent blackberries, black olives, and hints of iron and earthy undertones. James Suckling awarded it 94 points, praising its polished texture and savory finish that promises to soften with age. Vinous rated it 93 points, noting alluring aromas of sour cherry and blackberry, alongside wild herbs and a chalky palate, demonstrating Vega Sicilia’s modern approach. With a drinking window from 2025 to 2035, this sophisticated wine offers notable aging potential.

*****

Covid-19 made 2020 a challenging vintage, but the wines are delicate, deep and spicy. This Alión stands out for its elegance and finesse.

100% TEMPRANILLO (TINTO FINO)

The Vintage
The previous cycle ended with warmer temperatures than normal and the weather conditions enabled good lignification. Normal spring temperatures with precipitation enabled budbreak to occur as normal during the second fortnight of April, with no frosts recorded. There was some rain during harvest.

Description
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.

2020 was a drier vintage than normal, the grapes were very healthy but heavy rains in September diluted the fruit so it was necessary to wait for the grapes to re concentrate before harvesting. The resulting wines were more vertical, balanced and fresh. The proportion of American oak used was increased 4% this vintage. Concrete was used in a proportion of this vintage to improve the verticality and freshness of the wines

THE WINE ADVOCATE 95 points
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
Drink Date: 2025 - 2035
2020 was drier than average until the harvest, when it rained and diluted the grapes, and they had to wait to regain concentration. The result is that the 2020 Alión is a wine with better balance and freshness. They felt the skins were very ripe and they could extract more and use a little more American oak (4%) in the élevage. From 2019, they kept the press wine separate until June, and they keep separate quantities of press wines that are aged in different containers depending on the quality of the wine. They used a percentage of concrete and oak vats for the élevage, which gives the wine more verticality and freshness. It's a subtle and elegant Alión, not as dense as some other vintages, but with nice balance and very elegant tannins. In 2020, they produced 285,485 bottles of this wine, 7,115 magnums and some larger formats. It was bottled in May 2022.

Alión started using oak foudres for the élevage of the wine in the 2020 vintage, the one released in 2024.

JAMES SUCKLING 94 Points ****
16 Aug, 2023 – There’s a finesse and polish to this red with blackberries, black olives, iron and terra-cotta. Medium to full body, with slightly chewy tannins and a savory finish. It will soften nicely with time. Try after 2025.

VINOUS 93 points
The 2020 Alión is made with grapes from several different plots in Padilla de Duero, Valbuena de Duero and Pesquera de Duero and was aged in barrels and foudres, with a small portion going into concrete vats. Garnet-red in hue. The aromas feature notes of sour cherry and blackberry, along with wild herbs and undergrowth. The palate is dry and chalky, with mild freshness and a rich, taut mouthfeel that precedes a polished, smooth, long-lasting and complex finish. This is Vega Sicilia's modern approach to Ribera del Duero. - Joaquín Hidalgo