Vega Sicilia Alion (750ml)
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Wine Type
Red Wine
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Size
750ml
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Vintage
2018
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Country
Spain
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Region
Castilla y Leon
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Sub-Region
Ribera del Duero
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Grape
Tempranillo
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Farming Method
ConventionalMost products with this label come from producers who do their best to avoid any intervention at all but it’s possible that some of the aforementioned preventative measures and additions are deemed necessary. Learn More
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ABV
15%
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Food Pairing
Aged CheeseGrilled MeatLamb
Vega Sicilia is widely regarded as one of the greatest wine estates in Spain. Located in Ribera del Duero, Castilla Leon. It is known for its dense, complex red wines. Few wines have such a distinguished history as Vega Sicilia, which was founded in the 1860’s.
When the estate’s original founder, Don Eloy Lecanda Chaves returned from France with cuttings of Bordeaux varietals, he planted them alongside the indigenous variety known today as Tempranillo. Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) has always made up the majority of Vega Sicilia wines. By the early part of the twentieth century, the estate’s wines had already become renown outside of Spain. The 1917 and 1918 vintages famously took prizes at the 1929 World’s Fair in Barcelona. The wine was not easily acquired; the owner decided who should get his wine thus creating an aura of mystery and exclusivity around Vega Sicilia. Eventually, the wines were made available to the world, but the status symbol that was Vega Sicilia endured.
In 1982, the estate was purchased by the Alvarez family, who brought with them their business prowess and resources while carrying on Vega Sicilia’s winemaking traditions.
Tasting Notes
A layered and complex wine; primary aromas mingle with secondary aromas of oak (spice and vanilla). The palate is generous with red and dark fruit. It is an intense, complex and fleshy wine, while upholding its elegance, which is a distinguishing feature and hallmark of the winery.
Method
Alión comes from carefully selected terroirs located in the very best areas of the Ribera del Duero DO region. The 2018 vintage reflects weather influenced by the Atlantic, with higher than average precipitation, cool temperatures, and a relatively late harvest.
Produced using the Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) variety. The grapes are harvest by hand in 12-kg boxes and are taken immediately to the winery to the sorting tables. Fermentation takes place in wooden tanks under controlled temperatures until a good polyphenolic structure is obtained which will provide the generous colour and firm structure that makes up part of the personality of this wine. Winemakers increased the effect of new oak on this vintage by up to 80 %, with American oak representing 10%, targeting a more generous wine; it is aged between 12 and 14 months in new, mainly French oak Bordeaux barrels. These barrels, from the leading Bordeaux firms, are a significant investment in oak as, harvest after harvest, all the wine that is produced in Alión will be aged in new barrels that, after the wine is decanted to be bottle, will not be used again by the winery. Once the wine is removed from the barrels, it ages for about 15 months in bottle.
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