2021 Bodegas Alión, Ribera del Duero, Spain

The 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: it’s a bright, lifted vintage for Alion.