Alión is made entirely from Tinto Fino. Since 2000 it has been produced as a wine in its own right, from its own vines (meticulously selected plots in the best areas of Ribera del Duero), in its own dedicated facility (which was completed to Grand Vin standard in 2009 and updated in 2018 to include smaller tanks and concrete for part of the élevage). The primary difference in the winemaking is the oak regime: whilst Único sees both French and American oak, new and used, plus time in bottle (up to 10 years in total), Alión is designed to be approachable at an earlier stage. Thus, it stays in mostly new French oak for 14-20 months, resting for around a year and a half in bottle before release, and hitting the “shelves” 6 years younger than Único.
