2011 Alion

The return of Vega's younger sibling

When in 1986 Vega Sicilia, Spain's undisputed equivalent of a first growth, decided they wanted to make wine in Ribera del Duero in a more modern style, they created a new bodega, Bodegas Alion. Now Alion is well on the way to fulfilling the promise Julian Jeffs saw in it when he surveyed it in 1999 and wrote in his seminal book The Wines of Spain, "If this bodega goes on the way it started, it will produce some of the world's greatest wines."

Alion has a lot in common with its older siblings. They are next door, and some of the Alion vineyards used to belong to Vega Sicilia. Huge amounts of care is lavished on the vineyards and the winemaking. Quality control is very high at both estates; for instance, the bodega chose to produce no Alion in 2010. But there are differences, too. Alion is produced from 100% Tinto Fino (the local clone of Tempranillo) and it is matured only in French oak. It is often said to be more like Bordeaux than its older cravat and cane siblings.

The weather gods smiled on Ribera del Duero in 2011. Rain came at the right time and in the right proportions, frost damage was avoided, there was plenty of heat to bring the grapes to ripeness but then a cool spell in summer has gifted a freshness to the finished product. The final result is a gorgeous wine that is still in its infancy but which deserves to grace every serious cellar. /NT

Offered subject to remaining unsold; available early 2015