2021 Bodegas Alión, Ribera del Duero, Spain Large Formats (Simon Field MW

(Simon Field MW

The château never seems to deliver the density and structure of Ducru-Beaucaillou (located just to the north) or the supple sexiness of Beychevelle

Bouquet: Speaks maturity

Antoine feels that 2017 is a little less rich than 2015

still barely evolved at 20 years old

2021 Bodegas Alión, Ribera del Duero, Spain Large Formats (Simon Field MWThe 2021 Alion is generous, approachable and bursting with red fruit character. You get a sense of a cooler, more restrained vintage here, but one that still possesses the powerful Ribera core. Notes of kirsch, strawberry coulis and sweetly spiced fruit persist throughout. The palate is broad, with a slightly chiselled minerality, some crunch and warm spice. This finishes with a herbal note, and fresh acidity: its a bright, lifted vintage for Alion.