Somm Picks

2018 Alion, Vega Sicilia, Ribera del Duero, Spain


Case Size: Single Bottle
Price:
Sale price£99.95

2018 Alion, Vega Sicilia, Ribera del Duero, Spain

Somm Picks

OVERVIEW

The 2018 Alion, a 100% Tempranillo from Spain's most prestigious winery, Vega Sicilia, is a taste of this amazing estate for a fraction of the cost. At 15% alcohol and from an exceptional vintage, Alion pulls no punches, this serious wine is about as good as Tempranillo gets and this vintage is considered one of the finest Alions ever made. A case buy if ever there was one, this will mature nicely over the next decade.

CRITIC REVIEWS

The 2018 Alión follows the path of the 2016: it is fresh and elegant and from a cooler (more Atlantic) vintage with more rain than the average and a relatively late harvest between September 28th and October 12th. They used 80% new barrels, with up to 10% made of American oak looking to (in their own words) give more sucrosity and sweetness to the wine, as it's a more vertical, tense and elegant expression of Alión. Part of the wine matured in concrete (something they started in 2016), and in 2021 they are experimenting with a 4,000-liter Rousseau foudre, as they want to keep working the texture and freshness. The wine is ripe at 15% alcohol and has a pH of 3.8 and a mellow 4.6 grams of acidity, round and soft. The wine matured until it was bottled in June 2020. The truth is that the wine comes through as subtle, elegant and balanced, with very integrated oak and a nice texture. It's one of the finest vintages for Alión. 257,257 bottles, 7,005 magnums and some larger formats produced. Drink Date 2023 - 2032. 95 Points. Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate (January 2022)

Fresh and very floral with violets and berries. Blackberries and orange peel, too. Medium-to full-bodied with firm, linear tannins. Excellent length and structure. Seriously structured, Better after 2024, but already beautiful. 96 Points. James Suckling

FOOD PAIRING INSPIRATION

This top end Ribera del Duero wine will pair well with grilled steaks, Moroccan tagine or lamb cutlets. 

VINTAGE AND WINEMAKING

A cooler, Atlantic inspired vintage scoring 94 points with the Wine Advocate.

Hand Tempranillo picked grapes from 40 year old vines. The wine is aged in Bordeaux barrels for 12-14 months, depending on the characteristics of the vintage. It is then matured in bottle for 15 months before release.

PRODUCER NOTES

Spain's most prestigious producer, Vega Sicilia is a Spanish icon. Founded in 1864 by Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves, he arrived in the region with Bordeaux cuttings of Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon and planted them together with Tinto Fino in these hallowed soils. This act laid the first stone in building the reputation of the wines of Ribera del Duero today.

This traditional estate strives for excellence at every turn with painstaking selection in the vineyard and huge investment in oak in the winery. All the wines of Vega Sicilia, from Unico to Valbuena 5° to Alion all share these exacting standards and it's this insistence on quality that has helped Vega Sicilia develop their cult like status among oenophiles today.

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SERVICE AND STORAGE TIPS

We recommend this wine be served at 18°C and stored at 12°C. We recommend decanting the wine for several hours before service.

    DELIVERY INFORMATION

    Delivery is free when you spend over £150. For orders under this amount then a £9.99 delivery charge will be applied.

    We use a tracked DPD delivery service who provide text and email tracking updates.

    Every bottle sold by CoolerSomm is subject to our quality guarantee. If a wine is corked or faulty, we will replace it.

    2018 Alion, Vega Sicilia, Ribera del Duero, Spain

    Wine Card
    Wine Producer Vega Sicilia
    Wine Region Ribera del Duero
    Wine Classification DO Ribera del Duero
    Wine Type Red
    Grape Variety 100% Tempranillo
    Vintage 2018
    Vintage Quality Outstanding - Parker 
    Maturity Drink but will Improve
    Body Mid-Full Bodied
    Sweetness Dry
    Alcohol % 15%
    Bottle Type Bordeaux 75cl
    Serving Temperature 16-18°C
    Food Pairing Beef, Lamb, Game
    Awards 96 Points - James Suckling
    95 Points - Tim Atkin MW
    95 Points - Luis Gutiérrez (WA)

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