Alion 2011,2012

Provenance

The late David Brice was a respected wine connoisseur, collector and co-founder of Brice and Burnett – The Fine Wine Specialists (formerly Wine Cellar). His lifelong passion for wine from all corners of the world wine, and generosity, helped develop a culture of fine wine in South Africa and beyond. Always with value and authenticity in mind, the collection spans a wide range of styles from leading producers and diverse regions. The wines were professionally imported under refrigeration and carefully stored at Brice and Burnett (formerly Wine Cellar) thereafter. Many of the producers are not available in South Africa and provide an excellent buying opportunity.

For more detailed information on the lots, please feel free to contact Roland Peens (roland@briceandburnett.co.za). Roland spent many years sharing and enjoying these wines with David Brice and is happy to provide further insight into the collection.

Critics Ratings

Vega Sicilia Alion 2011
“Meaty, earthy and beautifully woven strands of oak. Very fine tannins, and a charred savoury note on the finish. Pristine and multi-dimensional with excellent oak spice on the finish.” - Richard Hemming MW, JancisRobinson.com, 17/20 (Mar 2015)

“(aged in new French oak for two years): Opaque ruby. An exotically perfumed bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, pipe tobacco, woodsmoke and potpourri, with vanilla and allspice nuances emerging with aeration. Fleshy, seamless and sweet, offering energetic blackcurrant and cherry flavors and a suggestion of licorice pastille. Boasts excellent clarity and power on an impressively long, sweet finish framed by supple, slow-building tannins.” - Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 93/100 (Sep 2015)

“This chewy red delivers bold, earthy flavors, with dusty plum notes mingling with tar, coffee and meaty details, supported by a thick layer of tannins. Powerful and rather austere, this shows solid character.” - Thomas Matthews, Wine Spectator, 91/100 (Aug 2015)

Vega Sicilia Alion 2012
"Inky blackish crimson. Deeply scented with vanilla-laced black fruit, and a dark smoky complexity and a small wild-berry fragrance. Even a touch herbal though fully ripe. Firm and dry texture, chalky freshness, chewy finish. But the tannins are not thick as they were on the Pintia. There's a savoury black-olive finesse. Refined even in youth and dark, long finish." - Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, 17.5/20 (Mar 2016)

"(Raised in new French oak barrels for 14 months) Opaque ruby. An explosively perfumed bouquet evokes ripe dark berries, violet, licorice, pipe tobacco and toasty oak, and a suave mineral flourish adds vivacity. Sweet, seamless and broad on the palate, offering powerful cassis, cherry-vanilla and floral pastille flavors that become livelier and more spicy as the wine opens up. Distinctly rich but graceful as well, showing zero excess fat and no rough edges. Closes impressively long and sappy, with sneaky tannins adding gentle grip. This bodega, which is owned by the Vega Sicilia group, has been on a serious quality roll in recent vintages." - Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 93/100 (Dec 2016)