Alión is made from a rigorous selection of terroirs from the best areas of the Ribera del Duero appellation. These soils, which complement each other, as well as the same viticulture as that practiced in Vega Sicilia, have given rise to wines with a firm structure.
2020 was a drier vintage than normal, until the grapes were harvested. In September there was heavy rainfall, which characterized this vintage. The grapes were very healthy, but these rains had the effect of diluting them. To harvest, we had to wait for the grapes to concentrate again, but this resulted in more balanced, fresher and more vertical wines. This is the vintage where we were able to extract more because the skins were very polymerized and where we were able to give a little more weight to the American oak by adding 4%. The cement allowed us to work on the verticality and freshness of the wines. 2020 was a complicated vintage due to the management of Covid, but it produced delicate, deep and spicy wines. This is a very elegant and subtle Alión.
VINEYARDS CYCLE 2020: The end of the last cycle ended with temperatures warmer than usual and the weather conditions allowed for good bud burst. Normal spring temperatures and precipitation allowed the plants to bud properly during the second half of April, without frost. In terms of precipitation, the amount of water accumulated during the current wine season is below average. The month of June was cooler than usual and the month of July was warmer than usual, which brought forward veraison by a week. Periods of rain occurred during the harvest, which forced us to stop in certain places to harvest healthy, dry grapes.
PREFERENTIAL STORAGE AND CONSUMPTION: This wine can be consumed now, but it has a cellaring potential of 20 years if stored in optimal conditions: 12-14 ºC / 54-57 ºF and 60% relative humidity.
Best consumption at 18ºC / 64ºF.
Data: Alcohol level – 14,5%.
Variety – Tinto Fino
Average age of the vineyard – 40 years
Vineyard area – 70 ha (Padilla de Duero, Valbuena de Duero and Pesquera de Duero)
Planting frame – 2 plants/ha
Altitude – 750m
Yield – 3.500 kg/ha – 24,5 Hl/ha
Harvest – Manual in 12 kg boxes from September 14 to October 4
Production: 285 bottles of Bordeaux, 485 Magnums, 7 Double Magnums, 115 Imperials and 620 Salmanazars.