2003 Bodegas y Viñedos Alión Ribera del Duero- Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (7/10/2009)
Had this wine over about 6 hours. First glass out of the bottle, others out of the decanter. At first the aromas were more Rhone than RdD. Then I noticed the ripeness. Just seemed too ripe. At times I enjoyed some herbal/vegetal elements along with earth and asphalt but the prunes kept coming in. On the palate there were more ripe plums. At times it showed its balance and heft but at others it just tipped to too ripe. Lot’s of complexity and the middle and finish as very appealing but at the front it just came on too strong. I expect more from this wine. I will say it did seem shut down and somewhat hidden but there was no hiding the occasional prune. I hope the 04 is dialed back down. (88 pts.)
I’ve had the 03 once (I bought two bottles on closeout despite being very wary of the 03 vintage across almost all of Europe) and I agree that it’s a bit hot, with baked fruit and it’s pretty monolithic, but I still thought it was a pretty good wine, in the context of the 03 vintage and in the right situation. A cold winter night by the fire kind of wine more than a warm summer evening with pizza kind of wine There is NO doubt, however, that the 01 is WORLDS better, a really stunningly great wine IMHO. I would say the 96, 98, 99 and 00 are definitely better as well, though none of those are up to the level of the 01. I have high hopes for the 04, but haven’t tasted it yet.
Alión (= Vega Sicilia) is a serious winery, Jason. They don’t “dial” the wines either up or down. Something called “the vintage” does that. And this wine is pretty good for the hottest vintage in more than 100 years.
Of Alion, I’ve had the '01, '02, '03 and '04 but not anything older. The most “dialed down” one as of recent consumption (dinner 1st May 2009) was the '02.
The last time I had the '01 was dinner on 3 January 2009 but it was in magnum - still quite young.
The '04 I’ve only had once way back in 10 April 2008 at a dinner in honor of Pablo Álvarez and it was decanted for about 3 hours before serving. It seemed a bit leaner, sturdier and more focused than the '03.
I actually liked the '03 and have opened several bottles of it. Yes, quite ripe, but not a bad wine. It particularly pleased many at a comparative tasting of locally available Spanish wines at a dinner I organized last 27 November 2008.
Oh. So you like underripe grapes in your wine? Me, what I don’t like is overripe ones. But ripe - yes.
And everyone, please explain to me how you “dial down” in a vintage like 2003 in Europe? I’m a grower, I made wine in 2003, and even six years later I’m eager to learn.
Victor, you have a lot to contribute and you know more about Spain and Spanish wine than any one else on this board or eRP. I’ve learned a ton from you as I’m sure many others have.
However, you have a not so subtle way of joining conversations by belittling peoples’ opinions, shitting on everything then getting defensive and or snide when people don’t react completely civilly.
No one is saying 03 wasn’t a warm year, and everyone in this thread seems to think that Alion was pretty successful given the weather. But coming into this thread and suggesting they have no input in the eventual style of the wine they bottle is silly, is dismissive of the opinions expressed in this thread, and is downright insulting to the winemaking staff at VS / Alion.
For what it’s worth, I’ve had plenty of 03 Ribera wines that are notably less ripe, jammy and alcoholic than Alion (not necessarily better – just different in the categories noted). Maybe growers/makers out there prayed to the gods, maybe they did a little dance, or maybe they just picked the grapes earlier, hot weather and all? It’s pretty obvious to everyone on this board that winegrowers have influence over how ripe their wines are, no matter where the grapes are grown.
You’re right of course, Josh. Alion’s harvest for 2003 was by far the earliest (16th September), while 2004 and 2005 were in late September (2005 in 20-26 September). I am asking the winery when exactly in late September the 2004 was harvested since it’s not in Alion’s website, and will post once I find out.
Ripe in the context is a relative term. One persons ripe is another persons overripe. I taste with many people who go crazy about wines that I perceive to taste prune juice mixed alcohol.
And everyone, please explain to me how you “dial down” in a vintage like 2003 in Europe? I’m a grower, I made wine in 2003, and even six years later I’m eager to learn.
Well I can’t help you here and I don’t have a fraction of your knowledge about wine-making or Spanish wine but I don’t understand your issue here. I have more experience with Oregon 03s which saw major spikes and all wines showed more alcohol and more ripeness. Some managed it better than others but many wines were not enjoyable to my palate. Maybe “dial down” is a poor choice of words but that is what comes to mind when I think of the Oregon producers that sold 03 wines that I enjoyed. I enjoyed the 03 Alion but I have higher expectations for them. That could totally be the vintage and the vintage alone. Isn’t okay that I hope 04 produced a wine more in line with what I want from Alion?
That’s not how I would describe my participation in boards (“shitting on everything”?), but hey, speech and opinions are free, and I can’t help your thinking that way.
All I can say is that I have been on wine boards for much longer than most people, that by now I’m quite well known, that my ways are even better known, and that it’s way too late for an old man to change them. So I have a sneaking suspicion that you’ll have to live with them.
Peter, you know I love me some Lopez de Heredia ('47, '64, '81 Bosconia, '70, '87 Tondonia are all wonderful, esp. the '70 Tondonia), but even you must appreciate other Spanish beauty, no? Off the top of my head, some of my favorite wines of the past year or two have been from Spain ('89 Unico, '98 Erasmus, '99 Clos Martinet, '95 Alion, '94 La Rioja Alta 890, '01 Gran Elias Moro, '01 Maurodos San Roman, etc, etc.). You’re missing out, dude!
Just to get back on topic, the '95 Alion is drinking great, I would hold off on '02 and younger (I own both the '03 and '04 and am tempted to try the '03 soon).
There is NO doubt, however, that the 01 is WORLDS better, a really stunningly great wine IMHO. I would say the 96, 98, 99 and 00 are definitely better as well, though none of those are up to the level of the 01. I have high hopes for the 04, but haven’t tasted it yet.![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
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