Ratings & Tasting Notes:

96 points — Wine Advocate
The reviewer calls 2021 a year to remember, one of the best in recent times — relaxed and textbook in all senses, with snow early in the year, a mild spring disturbed only by frost in Pesquera that spared other villages, a relatively cool summer that slowed things down, and grapes that ripened to perfection without rain after September. The wine carries 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.81 and 4.8 grams of tartaric acidity. Very fresh and fruit-driven, with the balance and elegance of the cooler years, a little austere, with very elegant and polished tannins and the particular quality that comes when grapes ripen slowly.

96 points — Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of plots from across the region of varying altitudes and viticulture, some estate and some not, running from Soria to Valbuena de Duero. Dunnuck describes a full-bodied 100% Tempranillo of great finesse from an outstanding vintage noted for its balance and silkiness, with juicy red plum coating a palate of gorgeous length and breadth. Aged in both French and American oak for 12 months with a further 18 months in bottle, it shows the excellence of the year and the producer’s winemaking approach.

95 points — James Suckling
A pretty deep but fresh and harmonious wine that can be consumed early, drawn from a blend of Ribera del Duero vineyards. Fascinating aromas of fine spices, dark chocolate, dark cherries, blackberries and cedar wood. Medium to full-bodied, with fine chalky tannins and a lasting finish. Impeccable balance — a textbook Ribera del Duero that gives a panoramic view of the region.

94 points — Wine Spectator
Sassafras with a touch of cocoa powder, defined by long, limber tannins. Refreshed by the tang of orange peel-infused 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.

Cult Wines International Notes:

Vega Sicilia was founded in Ribera del Duero in 1864 and is widely regarded as Spain’s most important wine estate, its flagship Único among the few Spanish wines spoken of alongside the first growths of Bordeaux. Alión was founded in 1986 as a separate venture under the same family ownership, with its own 85-hectare property and its own dedicated winery, and it operates independently of the mother estate. Where Vega Sicilia balances tradition against innovation, Alión was conceived as the modern expression: 100% Tempranillo, made with contemporary technology under head winemaker Javier Ausás, and drawn as a mosaic of sites spanning the appellation from the eastern border in Soria to the Vega Sicilia estate itself at Valbuena de Duero.

2021 was an exceptional year in Ribera del Duero and critics have been unanimous about it — snow early, a mild spring, a cool summer that slowed ripening, and a dry September that allowed the fruit to come in perfectly. The wine is 100% Tempranillo at 14.5% alcohol, aged in French and American oak with a portion in foudre and concrete, then rested in bottle for a further eighteen months. It shows dark cherry, blackberry, red plum, blackberry preserve and cherry pie over fine spice, dark chocolate, cedar, sassafras, cocoa, violet, wild thyme, iron and white pepper. Medium to full-bodied, fresh and fruit-driven, with fine chalky tannins, a tang of orange-peel acidity and a long, gorgeously balanced finish. Approachable now and good through 2040.

Bottle Size:

750 mL

Storage History:

Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.

Condition:

Outstanding condition.

Please note: The condition of the bottle you will receive is accurately reflected by the one shown in the images.