2017 will be remembered as the vintage of the great frost in northern Spain (the fateful April 28). For Alión, grapes from different villages in Ribera del Duero are used, among which Pesquera, La Horra, Roa and Gumiel stand out. Luckily, they were the villages where the impact of this frost was less than elsewhere. The vintage ended very warm and dry, undoubtedly a challenge for winemakers. To adapt to these conditions, Gonzalo Iturriaga and his team used a higher percentage of concrete during winemaking and a lower percentage of new barrels than the norm. In addition, they opted for lighter-toasted, fresher barrel profiles (Sylvain and Taransaud).
It is a firm, hard Alión, with lots of black fruit and hints of ash. A very rooty vintage, rich in humus and organic notes; to decant and to leave open for a while, with a closed nose but which will grow. With all these deep and earthy notes, it surprises with its more polished and fresh palate, with a lot of intensity of flavour, very polished tannins and just memories of forest floor. An Alión with tension, which will undoubtedly evolve very well. (FC)
TEMPOS VEGA SICILIA
Alion 2017
- 17 points -
À propos de Jancis Robinson
Described by Decanter magazine as 'the most respected wine critic and journalist in the world', Jancis writes daily for JancisRobinson.com (voted first-ever Wine Website of the Year in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards 2010), weekly for The Financial Times, and bi-monthly for a column that is syndicated around the world. She is also editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, co-author with Hugh Johnson ofThe World Atlas of Wine and co-author of Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours, each of these books recognised as a standard reference worldwide.