Alíon 2013 75cl

The careful selection of the grapes and the work directives even for the purchased grapes has clearly paid off in the 2013 Alión, which has great freshness and perfume. It was cropped from a relatively normal growing season, but with a cold September with some rains that provoked a slight delay in the picking and especially the seed for a severe sorting of the grapes. It's considered a challenging vintage in general, and the bottles produced are slightly less than in the healthier 2012. It's always pure Tempranillo from over 30-year-old vines in different villages: Pesquera, Padilla, Moradillo... It fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts after a three-day cold soak, followed by malolactic and 12-14 months in new French barriques. It might be a lighter vintage for Alión, but one that has a subtler profile and harmony. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, with a thread of acidity going through its core and lifting it up. An elegant Alión. 260,000 bottles and some larger formats were filled in May 2015.

Firm and dense, this seems a bit tough at first but blooms with air, offering black fruit, coffee and tar flavors, and finishing with anise and floral notes, bright acidity balancing the muscular tannins. Drink now through 2025. 21,000 cases made.