Vega Sicilia
About Vega Sicilia
Ribera del Duero sits as Spain’s premier winegrowing region today, with Vega-Sicilia being the jewel in the crown. Undoubtedly Spain’s First Growth, Vega-Sicilia, has risen to the top of winemaking in Spain since its inception in 1864 when Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves brought Cabernet and Merlot cuttings over from Bordeaux, planting them alongside the Spanish Tempranillo. It is also the only Spanish producer in the Liv-ex ‘Power 100’ list of the world’s most collectable wine estates. In 2019, it even jumped to 26th place, where it is rated above Pétrus, Opus One and Le Pin.
Viniculture
Vega Sicilia speaks of the barren, hot, sunshine terraces of central Spain. These are complex wines that are a constant and enjoyable paradox: showing depth with brilliance, grace with power. Their top wine is the legendary Único. Crafted from some of the oldest vines in the appellation, Único is released after long periods of ageing at the estate. Mainly Tempranillo with a small portion of Cabernet Sauvignon, this Gran Reserva is only made in top vintages and accounts for as little as a third of the estate’s entire production.
The second wine, Valbuena 5°, uses the same blend as Único and is a pure expression of Tinto Fino (the local name for Tempranillo) with a splash of Merlot (6%). Named after the nearby village of Valbuena de Duero, the ‘5°’ refers to the age of the wine, released after five (quinto) years of barrel and bottle age, hence the name of the end product: Valbuena 5º.
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Prices:
| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | 93 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£838.84 |
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Wine Advocate (93)The 2009 Alion, pure Tempranillo aged in French oak, has had the benefit of a couple more years in bottle than the 2011 and shows more nuances, more restraint and a more serious aroma profile. It’s also a ripe year, with notes of plums and shy violets, the oak well-integrated into the wine. The palate is full-bodied with abundant, fine-grained tannins and a velvety, juicy texture, with good extraction and stuffing: I think this will be longer lived than the 2011. They have different styles – this is classier, and 2011 is more exuberant – but they are both at a similar quality level. 320,000 bottles produced. Drink now-2021. |
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Castilla y Leon | 5 | 96 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£674.69 |
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James Suckling (96)Fresh and very floral with violets and berries. Blackberries and orange peel, too. Medium-to full-bodied with firm, linear tannins. Excellent length and structure. Seriously structured, Better after 2024, but already beautiful. |
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Castilla y Leon | 3 | 94 (TA) |
Inc. VAT
£575.09 |
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Tim Atkin MW (94)Alión is a pan-Ribera blend, using grapes spread over 70 hectares, principally in the Burgos villages of La Aguilera, Moradillo de Roa and Roa. Aged in a combination of concrete and 70% new French and 5% American oak, this was picked early to counter the heat of the vintage. It's bright, focused and acid-driven, with scented wood and blueberry and black cherry fruit. Will age gracefully for a decade or more. |
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | 93 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£574.84 |
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Wine Advocate (93)The challenge in Toro is to achieve the elegance usually linked with the name of Vega Sicilia, and with the 2013 Pintia, it's achieved by fine-tuning the harvest date to maintain the freshness of aromas and acidity of the wine. The grapes were picked between September 26th and October 10th and fermented after a cold soak. Malolactic occurred in 70% French barrels, 25% American oak and the remaining 5% in Hungarian barriques. It's a more elegant year for Pintia, as cooler vintages usually help counterbalance the natural power of Toro. It's also a lighter year with good freshness, and this showed a fine thread on the palate and was nicely textured, elegant within the rusticity of the zone. It was bottled in April 2015. 149,449 bottles, 5,558 magnums and some larger formats were produced. |
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | 94 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£517.49 |
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Wine Advocate (94)The wine released in 2024 is the 2019 Pintia, from a very dry year when they did a softer vinification and used some 15% stainless steel for the élevage to keep the fruit and freshness. It fermented in stainless steel and oak vats with indigenous yeasts. It's a powerful year; the wine has 15% alcohol and is round and full-bodied. It's a heady and ripe Pintia. They had to be careful with the harvest date, and they harvested early and quite quickly. Even though the wine is ripe and heady, with notes of grenadine and small ripe berries, it's also exotic and spicy, quite showy, lush and full-bodied, with 2019 tannins. It's a more powerful wine that is going to require patience. They produced 224,724 bottles, 6,587 magnums and some smaller and larger sizes. It was bottled in May 2021. |
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | 98 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£2,089.24 |
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Vinous (98)Inky ruby. An assertively perfumed, highly complex bouquet displays powerful, mineral-accented dark berry preserve, exotic spice, vanilla, potpourri and incense aromas, along with suggestions of cola and mocha. Broad, focused and deeply concentrated, offering palate-staining black and blue fruit liqueur, violet pastille and spicecake flavors that show remarkable clarity and are given spine and lift by a core of juicy acidity. The spice, mineral and floral notes resonate emphatically on the strikingly long, sweet finish, which features harmonious tannins and building, resonating dark berry character. |
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | 98 (TA) |
Inc. VAT
£2,348.44 |
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Tim Atkin MW (98)The latest in a superb run of Único releases, the 2012 is a finely judged cuvée of Tinto Fino and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards on the south side of the Duero river with a northerly aspect. There's no sign of the heat of the vintage here on a wine that is poised, complex and self-assured. Floral, mature and nicely evolved, with fine French and American oak, graceful tannins and a hint of graphite. One of Spain's greatest reds. |
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| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 93 (WA) |
In Bond
£683.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (93)The 2009 Alion, pure Tempranillo aged in French oak, has had the benefit of a couple more years in bottle than the 2011 and shows more nuances, more restraint and a more serious aroma profile. It’s also a ripe year, with notes of plums and shy violets, the oak well-integrated into the wine. The palate is full-bodied with abundant, fine-grained tannins and a velvety, juicy texture, with good extraction and stuffing: I think this will be longer lived than the 2011. They have different styles – this is classier, and 2011 is more exuberant – but they are both at a similar quality level. 320,000 bottles produced. Drink now-2021. |
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|
|
Castilla y Leon | 5 | 96 (JS) |
In Bond
£543.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (96)Fresh and very floral with violets and berries. Blackberries and orange peel, too. Medium-to full-bodied with firm, linear tannins. Excellent length and structure. Seriously structured, Better after 2024, but already beautiful. |
|||||||||
|
|
Castilla y Leon | 3 | 94 (TA) |
In Bond
£460.00 |
|||||
Tim Atkin MW (94)Alión is a pan-Ribera blend, using grapes spread over 70 hectares, principally in the Burgos villages of La Aguilera, Moradillo de Roa and Roa. Aged in a combination of concrete and 70% new French and 5% American oak, this was picked early to counter the heat of the vintage. It's bright, focused and acid-driven, with scented wood and blueberry and black cherry fruit. Will age gracefully for a decade or more. |
|||||||||
|
|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 93 (WA) |
In Bond
£463.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (93)The challenge in Toro is to achieve the elegance usually linked with the name of Vega Sicilia, and with the 2013 Pintia, it's achieved by fine-tuning the harvest date to maintain the freshness of aromas and acidity of the wine. The grapes were picked between September 26th and October 10th and fermented after a cold soak. Malolactic occurred in 70% French barrels, 25% American oak and the remaining 5% in Hungarian barriques. It's a more elegant year for Pintia, as cooler vintages usually help counterbalance the natural power of Toro. It's also a lighter year with good freshness, and this showed a fine thread on the palate and was nicely textured, elegant within the rusticity of the zone. It was bottled in April 2015. 149,449 bottles, 5,558 magnums and some larger formats were produced. |
|||||||||
|
|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 94 (WA) |
In Bond
£412.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (94)The wine released in 2024 is the 2019 Pintia, from a very dry year when they did a softer vinification and used some 15% stainless steel for the élevage to keep the fruit and freshness. It fermented in stainless steel and oak vats with indigenous yeasts. It's a powerful year; the wine has 15% alcohol and is round and full-bodied. It's a heady and ripe Pintia. They had to be careful with the harvest date, and they harvested early and quite quickly. Even though the wine is ripe and heady, with notes of grenadine and small ripe berries, it's also exotic and spicy, quite showy, lush and full-bodied, with 2019 tannins. It's a more powerful wine that is going to require patience. They produced 224,724 bottles, 6,587 magnums and some smaller and larger sizes. It was bottled in May 2021. |
|||||||||
|
|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 98 (VN) |
In Bond
£1,725.00 |
|||||
Vinous (98)Inky ruby. An assertively perfumed, highly complex bouquet displays powerful, mineral-accented dark berry preserve, exotic spice, vanilla, potpourri and incense aromas, along with suggestions of cola and mocha. Broad, focused and deeply concentrated, offering palate-staining black and blue fruit liqueur, violet pastille and spicecake flavors that show remarkable clarity and are given spine and lift by a core of juicy acidity. The spice, mineral and floral notes resonate emphatically on the strikingly long, sweet finish, which features harmonious tannins and building, resonating dark berry character. |
|||||||||
|
|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 98 (TA) |
In Bond
£1,941.00 |
|||||
Tim Atkin MW (98)The latest in a superb run of Único releases, the 2012 is a finely judged cuvée of Tinto Fino and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards on the south side of the Duero river with a northerly aspect. There's no sign of the heat of the vintage here on a wine that is poised, complex and self-assured. Floral, mature and nicely evolved, with fine French and American oak, graceful tannins and a hint of graphite. One of Spain's greatest reds. |
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