From Vega Sicilia’s sister estate, using 50% own fruit and 50% from growers in villages including Pesquera and Moradillo. What a difference a vintage makes! 2013 was a cool year and Alión was not showing at its best, but one year later, with some gentle tweaks to the winemaking, the 2014 is delightfully aromatic, with fine oak, redcurrant fruit, and notes of forest floor. The palate is impressively silky, with black fruit and aniseed, while the tannins are firm and tight at present. Alión is a modern-styled Ribera del Duero youngster, and simply needs time to calm down.

Opaque ruby. Intense, mineral-tinged black and blue fruit, potpourri, Indian spice, mocha and vanilla scents on the highly perfumed nose. Sweet, deeply concentrated boysenberry, cherry cola, fruitcake and dark chocolate flavors spread out steadily with air. Lush and seamless in texture, finishing with outstanding clarity, sweet persistence and rounded tannins that contribute shape and grip.