Der Alion wird reinsortig aus der Rebsorte Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) erzeugt. Ausgebaut wurde der Wein für rund 15 Monate in neuen Barriques aus französischer Eiche. Das sehr schöne Bukett zeigt Aromen von Brombeeren, Heidelbeeren, Kirschen, Vanille, Kakao, Gewürznelken, Rauchfleisch, Sandelholz, Zeder, kräutrige Noten, mineralische Akzente und Veilchen. Am Gaumen fleischig, druckvoll, muskulöse Eleganz, vielschichtig, schöne Frucht, feinwürzig, mineralisch, enorme Tiefe, feines Holz, saftig, samtig, dichter Tanninmantel und ein sehr langer Nachhall.
The 2018 Alión follows the path of the 2016: it is fresh and elegant and from a cooler (more Atlantic) vintage with more rain than the average and a relatively late harvest between September 28th and October 12th. They used 80% new barrels, with up to 10% made of American oak looking to (in their own words) give more sucrosity and sweetness to the wine, as it's a more vertical, tense and elegant expression of Alión. Part of the wine matured in concrete (something they started in 2016), and in 2021 they are experimenting with a 4,000-liter Rousseau foudre, as they want to keep working the texture and freshness. The wine is ripe at 15% alcohol and has a pH of 3.8 and a mellow 4.6 grams of acidity, round and soft. The wine matured until it was bottled in June 2020. The truth is that the wine comes through as subtle, elegant and balanced, with very integrated oak and a nice texture. It's one of the finest vintages for Alión. 257,257 bottles, 7,005 magnums and some larger formats produced. Robert Parker
