2020 Vega Sicilia Alion

95 2020 was drier than average until the harvest, when it rained and diluted the grapes, and they had to wait to regain concentration. The result is that the 2020 Alión is a wine with better balance and freshness. They felt the skins were very ripe and they could extract more and use a little more American oak (4%) in the élevage. From 2019, they kept the press wine separate until June, and they keep separate quantities of press wines that are aged in different containers depending on the quality of the wine. They used a percentage of concrete and oak vats for the élevage, which gives the wine more verticality and freshness. It's a subtle and elegant Alión, not as dense as some other vintages, but with nice 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.

As with Vega Sicilia and Pinta, I tasted the vintage of Alión to be released in 2024 and published the note earlier in the year. I am now including it here again for context with the rest of the Duero wines and completeness of the article.

The Wine Advocate - Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

Drink Date:2025 - 2035 - Published: Jun 13, 2024