Provenance

Private Client

Critics Ratings

2009:
'Blueberry, savory plum and lemony oak are the key aromas on this firmly structured RDD. Flavors of blackened toast, blackberry, pepper and creamy oak finish pure, strong and long, with mint, licorice and chocolaty residual notes. Drink through 2022.' - Michael Schachner, Wine Enthusiast, 92/100 (Jul 2014)

'This plush red delivers lively flavors of plum, blackberry, nutmeg and toast. Deceptively supple, featuring well-integrated tannins and fresh acidity that imparts plenty of structure. In the modern style. Drink now through 2019.' - Thomas Matthews, Wine Spectator, 91/100 (Sep 2013)

'2012:
‘Inky blackish crimson. Deeply scented with vanilla-laced black fruit, and a dark smoky complexity and a small wild-berry fragrance. Even a touch herbal though fully ripe. Firm and dry texture, chalky freshness, chewy finish. But the tannins are not thick as they were on the Pintia. There’s a savoury black-olive finesse. Refined even in youth and dark, long finish.’ – Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, 17.5/20 (Feb 2016)

‘Pointy, pinched black-fruit aromas come with complex notes of graphite, tobacco, tree bark and horse hide. A young, fierce palate is tannic like sandpaper, while roasted blackberry flavors are backed by savory spice notes and wood grain. Big, lusty flavors of coffee, mocha and toast unfold on the finish, which is everlasting. Drink 2018–2028.' - Michael Schachner, Wine Enthusiast, 93/100 (Sep 2016)

‘Opaque ruby. An explosively perfumed bouquet evokes ripe dark berries, violet, licorice, pipe tobacco and toasty oak, and a suave mineral flourish adds vivacity. Sweet, seamless and broad on the palate, offering powerful cassis, cherry-vanilla and floral pastille flavors that become livelier and more spicy as the wine opens up. Distinctly rich but graceful as well, showing zero excess fat and no rough edges. Closes impressively long and sappy, with sneaky tannins adding gentle grip. This bodega, which is owned by the Vega Sicilia group, has been on a serious quality roll in recent vintages.’ – Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 93/100 (Dec 2016)

‘2012 has to be one of the best recent vintages of Alión. This 2012 Alión is pure Tempranillo from vineyards averaging 25 to 30 years of age, harvested at the end of September and matured for 14 months in new French oak barrels. The nose is much more elegant than the Pintia from Toro (I tasted them together), still very fresh and primary but with a special brightness of fruit, shiny cherries, raspberries, something effervescent, open and somehow exuberant. The palate is quite round, much more polished, with some notes of dark chocolate, some subtle volatility, elegant, fresh and long. It has the balance and stuffing to develop nicely in bottle. Superb balance, Ribera character, clean, modern classic.’ - Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, 95/100 (Oct 2015)

2013:
‘The careful selection of the grapes and the work directives even for the purchased grapes has clearly paid off in the 2013 Alión, which has great freshness and perfume. It was cropped from a relatively normal growing season, but with a cold September with some rains that provoked a slight delay in the picking and especially the seed for a severe sorting of the grapes. It's considered a challenging vintage in general, and the bottles produced are slightly less than in the healthier 2012. It's always pure Tempranillo from over 30-year-old vines in different villages: Pesquera, Padilla, Moradillo... It fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts after a three-day cold soak, followed by malolactic and 12-14 months in new French barriques. It might be a lighter vintage for Alión, but one that has a subtler profile and harmony. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, with a thread of acidity going through its core and lifting it up. An elegant Alión.’ - Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, 94/100 (Mar 2017)

‘Blackish crimson with an inky core. The fruit smells riper than the Pintia, more fruit cake but still dark and savoury at the same time. Complex aroma: baking spice and a touch earthy. Still really scented, opening to a light floral note, too. Firm, velvety texture but tastes cooler and less thick on the palate than the Pintia. Even with this ripeness there is a fine complexity on the nose. Sweet black fruit and a light spice on the finish.’ – Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, 17+/20 (Dec 2016)

Notes

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