One of the famous estates of the Alvarez family, which also includes Bodegas Vega Sicilia and its famous Unico, is an estate located in the Spanish town of Peñafiel in the province of Valladolid which is well worth a visit: Bodegas Alion.

It was in 1986 that the Alvarez family purchased the vineyards, followed by - in 1992 - the technical facilities of Bodegas Liceo, to create a new estate with a philosophy and an identity oriented towards modernity. It would come to be named Alion as an homage to David Alvarez, as Alión was the name of the patriarch’s birthplace, a village located in the León region. The first and highly-anticipated vintage, 1991, was put on the market in 1995. It would immediately be classed in the TOP 100 of the best wines in the world by the influential magazine and wine review, Wine Spectator.

The Alion vineyard stands on the alluvium of the Duero river. Perfectly-drained soil, a continental climate tempered by the influence of the Atlantic: the elements combined to form a terroir conducive to the development of the vineyard, which is planted with Tempranillo. The eponymous wine, placed in vats for a few months, is then transferred into new oak barrels and left to develop for between 12 and 20 months. Just like at Vega Sicilia, Alion then rests in bottles in the winery’s cellars for between 15 and 16 months before its release on the market.It is these characteristics, such as the perfect mastery of the processes of élevage, fermentation and winemaking, which make Alion a powerful nectar of an unusual intensity for the wines of the Ribera del Duero. A great wine which has joined the ranks of legends.

Discover the other producers from Ribera del Duero and specially Winner Wines, Vinedos y Bodegas SA, Bodegas Vega Sicilia and Dominio de Pingus.