Vega Sicilia Alion 2017

The Wine Advocate: 2020 was a drier year than usual until the harvest, when it rained and diluted the grapes, and they had to wait for them to regain their concentration. The result is that the 2020 Alión is a wine with better balance and freshness. They felt that the skins were very ripe and were able to extract more, using a little more American oak (4%) during the aging. Since 2019, they have kept the pressed wine separate until June, and they keep separate quantities of aged pressed wines in different containers, depending on the quality of the wine. They used a percentage of concrete and wooden vats for the aging, which gives the wine more verticality and freshness. It is a subtle and elegant Alión, not as dense as some other vintages, but with good 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.

Tim Atkin: Produced from a total of 35 different parcels, located mainly in Padilla de Duero, Pesquera de Duero and Valbuena de Duero, this Alión is seductively perfumed and has benefited from a cooler, wetter period in mid-September. Oaky flavours of spicy vanilla, coconut and dark chocolate frame a youthful, dark fruit palate, with the structure and freshness needed to age well in bottle. 2025-32.

James Suckling: There’s a finesse and elegance to this red, with blackberries, black olives, iron and terracotta. Medium to full-bodied, with slightly chewy tannins and a salty finish. It will mellow nicely with age. Try after 2025.