Vega Sicilia Alión Ribera del Duero 2020
The Vega Sicilia Alión is made from 100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) grapes which are sourced from a careful selection of terroirs dotted across the very best areas of the Ribera del Duero DO. These complementary soils, along with the same winemaking process as Vega Sicilia, have given rise to generously structured wines. 2018 was the first vintage to use Alión’s new winemaking facility, designed to give greater precision during extraction. All the grapes are harvested by hand and taken immediately to the winery to the sorting tables where only the finest fruit is selected before fermentation takes place in wooden tanks under controlled temperatures. The use of new oak is a significant investment for Alión, as each and every vintage only the finest new French oak barrels from Bordeaux are used for maturation, which lasts for a period of between 12 and 14 months. Once the wine is removed from the barrels, it remains in bottle for a further 15 months, developing all the primary aromas of the fruit with the hues from its delicate ageing, resulting in an intense, complex and fleshy wine, but where the elegance is a distinguishing feature and hallmark of Vega Sicilia. Covid-19 made 2020 a challenging vintage, but the wines are delicate, deep and spicy. This Alión stands out for its elegance and finesse.