Bodegas Alion Ribera del Duero 2021

Wine Enthusiast Aromas of black cherry, rose petal and anisette prep the taste buds for black cherry, cassis, cocoa bean, clove and lavender flavors. Plush tannins take hold of the palate and drift into a candied orange finish.

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.

Suave and harmonious, offering a silky mix of plumped cherry, plum and sassafras, plus a touch of cocoa powder defined by long, limber tannins. Refreshed by the tang of orange peelinfused acidity, this is fragrant through the lightly chewy finish, showing notes of wild thyme, iron, milled white pepper and dried violet. Drink now through 2040. 21,791 cases made, 1,228 cases imported.