"... Nice dark colour with shiny crimson reflections. A sweet nose of sour cherries and raspberries with vanilla-oak tones hits your nose. On the palate then silky texture with a little grip of tannins still, but already quite evolved and easily drinkable. Mouth appears instantly sweet – too sweet for my taste - with marmalade-like impression of cooked sour cherries, very intense fruit. Of course 14,5% alcohol amplify the sweet madness and the acidity is too few to counterbalance it effectively. At least a few hints of liquorice are hidden behind that sweet wall (I somehow find liquorice in many wines these days). The length is satisfying but comes with some slight bitter notes which don’t really fit into the marmalade scheme.
As the evening passes though, I got a bit used to the sweetness and the wine felt more round; furthermore notes of cinnamon and clove appeared, adding a little complexity. My general impression though was still more towards disappointment, as the Alion seemed a bit made and overdone and couldn’t really live up to expectations set by the Duero label and the Vega Sicilia group to which it belongs. Maybe with time all the pieces will find together, but I really have doubts of how this one will develop. Something seems to be lacking, maybe acidity.
Actually this is the right counter-example for that nice Margaux I had earlier, which perfectly combined power, fruit and light elegance. I’ll have to recompare both in 10 years I guess. Need some pretty loyal readers here to share that experience then lol.
91 +- ??