2022 Alión (Vega Sicilia) Ribera del Duero

The 2022 Alión comes from a year they considered to be a challenge; it was warm and dry and ripeness didn't follow the usual pattern: late vineyards ripened earlier and early vineyards took longer this year. Their obsession was to keep the freshness in the wine, so they did a softer vinification and employed more careful use of oak, using larger volumes and other materials like concrete to tame a powerful and solar vintage. The nose is serious and even has some austerity. The wine is obviously juicier and rounder, with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.89 and 4.58 grams of acidity, but it has very good balance overall. The tannins are round, polished and slightly dustier than other vintages, and the wine has a tender mouthfeel. (LG)