Tempos Vega Sicilia En Primeur

Vega Sicilia is the most famous and revered name in Spain, a true world class estate producing an enviable range of wines that stand shoulder to shoulder with the greats of any region. Situatednear Valladolid in Spain’s Castillo y Léon, this 1,000ha iconic vineyard lies close to the Duero River, which gives its name to the Ribera del Duero DO, of which Vega Sicilia is the flag bearer. The story dates to 1848, 134 years before the Ribera del Duero region was demarcated, when Toribio Lecanda bought the estate from the Marquis of Valbuena, and turned the winemaking over to his son, Eloy Lecanda. Eloy is said to have planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec at Vega Sicilia in 1864, following a visit to Bordeaux, and over the next twenty years, the estate grew in recognition and earned International acclaim. Not all plain sailing, but much more good than bad, and some great owners, not least the current incumbents, the Alvarez family, who took control in 1982. Today, Tempos Vega Sicilia, includes the eponymous estate and it’s three flagship wines: Valbuena, Unico, and the Unico Reserva Especial; Alion, also in Ribera del Duero; Pintia in Toro; Macán in Rioja – in partnership with Benjamin de Rothschild; and Tokaj-Oremus in Hungary. As with any elite producer, they have the resources, know-how, and patience to produce the very best wines, moving away from overt oak influence in favour of lighter extraction and ever greater purity, precision, and freshness.