Bodegas Alion: A Jewel of the Ribera del Duero
Heritage and Creation of Bodegas Alion
One of the famous estates of the Alvarez family, which also includes Bodegas Vega Sicilia and its famous Unico, is an estate located in the Spanish town of Peñafiel in the province of Valladolid which is well worth a visit: Bodegas Alion.
The Journey to Modern Winemaking
It was in 1986 that the Alvarez family purchased the vineyards, followed by - in 1992 - the technical facilities of Bodegas Liceo, to create a new estate with a philosophy and an identity oriented towards modernity. It would come to be named Alion as an homage to David Alvarez, as Alión was the name of the patriarch’s birthplace, a village located in the León region. The first and highly-anticipated vintage, 1991, was put on the market in 1995. It would immediately be classed in the TOP 100 of the best wines in the world by the influential magazine and wine review, Wine Spectator.
The Unique Terroir and Winemaking Process
The Alion vineyard stands on the alluvium of the Duero river. Perfectly-drained soil, a continental climate tempered bythe influenceofthe Atlantic:the elements combinedtoformaterroir conducive tothe developmentofthevineyardwhichis plantedwithTempranillo.The eponymous wine placedinvatsforafewmonthsisthen transferredintonewoakbarrelsandlefttodevelopforbetween12and20months.JustlikeatVegaSicilia ,Alionthenrestsinthe winery’scellars forbetween15and16monthsbeforeitsreleaseonthemarket.
It is these characteristics,suchastheperfectmasteryoftheprocessesofélevage ,fermentationandwinemaking ,whichmakeAliona powerfulnectarofanunusualintensityforthewinesoftheRiberadelDuero.Agreatwinewhichhasjoinedtheranksoflegends.
Discovertheotherproducersfrom Ribera del Duero andspecially Winner Wines, Vinedos y Bodegas SA, Bodegas Vega Sicilia and Dominio de Pingus.
Discover also the wines of Planeta, Torres, Bodega Matarromera.
