A lot of folks think a busy day for a typical wine merchant is a gala luncheon, an afternoon tasting of rare, high-end wines, and some sort of producer-centric dinner. For some that may be true. We tend to be a lot more clinical about it. While we are certainly going to take a hard look at every such offer we get, there is concern as to what sort of good the event will do for our experience, our knowledge, and the business as a whole. Spending 2-3 hours to taste five or six wines, though potentially enjoyable, isn’t necessarily the most efficient use of our time.
As we think back over the years, there are only a couple of reoccurring events that we have said yes to without hesitation. One of them is Vega Sicilia. We have been huge fans for a long time and have championed their Alion Ribera del Duero (founded 1991) and Pintia Toro (founded 2001) virtually since inception. The wines have steadily improved over the years as the Alvarez family (who bought Vega Sicilia in 1982) has upped their game both by becoming more tuned in with their individual terroirs and how to get the most out of them.
Each
property has its own timetable for release, and this year’s lineup was arguably
the best ever, in part because each of the wines came from benchmark vintages (2015,
2016, and 2010) and were highpoint efforts within each of their ongoing
series. If money was no object, these
would definitely qualify as desert island/self-quarantine wines. This
was as impressive a ‘rollout’ as we can recall, hence the ‘Murderers Row’/’27
Yankees reference.
Not surprisingly the Benjamin de Rothschild Vega Sicilia Rioja Macan Clasico 2016 , a joint effort between Vega Sicilia and Rothschild, has the greatest resemblance to a Bordeaux than its siblings, yet retains its ‘Spanish accent’. Made completely from Tempranillo, apparently in a brand new gravity flow winery, this is the ‘junior’ if the two bottlings here but we found it more complete front to back than it’s more expensive stablemate. There is more insistent oak influence here than the other bottlings we will talk about, but the vanilla and toast notes are all beautifully integrated with the cassis and earth aspects the the vineyard itself imparts.
Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez notes, “In 2016, they fermented the wine in stainless steel and reduced the number of new barrels to 50%, while 5% of the barrels were produced with American oak at the Vega Sicilia cooperage. The new winery was 100% ready and now has much better facilities. The élevage lasted 12 months, and this has contained ripeness and integrated oak. The year had freshness and balance and helped to produce lighter and more expressive wines, like this one. This has to be one of the finest vintages for this cuvée…93+ points.”
If there was a ‘best performer’ that day relative to its station, it was the Vega Sicilia Pintia Toro 2015. The vintage surely contributed to the wine’s relative tenderness and evident opulence, and the expansive, super fleshy fruit that defines the region was in full array. Lots of care in the vineyard here with hand harvesting into small crates and double sorting followed by 100% malolactic in a combination of 70% French and 30% American oak then a 12-month sojourn in barrel. Pintia is usually ‘big medicine’, but this classically full-throttle effort is also more user friendly out of the gate. Dangerously so as, in this warm vintage, the wine clocks 15% alcohol though they did a fabulous job of keeping the wine’s freshness.
Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez handed this one a 94 with comments, “…even if the wine is powerful and tannic, it has good balance and the tannins are fine-grained. This has reached a good balance between power and elegance.” James Sucklings note gets right to the point, “A very structured and intense Pintia with lots of blackberry, chocolate and cedar character. Full body. Yet, it’s more refined than in past vintages. One of the more balanced bottlings from this winery. Delicious already…95 points.” Amen to that.
The fined tuned winemaking practiced at Pintia is, not surprisingly, also employed at Alion. The difference is the clone (locals are insistent that Tinto del Toro and Tinto Fino are markedly different clones…we agree). Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez gives the technical version, “The highly anticipated Vega Sicilia Alion Ribera Del Duero 2016 spent 12 months in oak barrels, 80% of them new and built mainly with French oak but with some 5% American oak, and some 10% of the volume matured in 15,000-liter concrete vats. It hits the scale at 15% alcohol and has moderate acidity, showing ripe black fruit and a creamy texture. 2016 has to be one of the freshest and most elegant vintages of Alión, a year with depth, freshness and terrific balance. Same as they do in Pintia, they are finding ways to lower the impact of the oak in the wine…95 points.”
From the hedonists perspective, James Suckling puts it this way, “A very savory and succulent Alion with so much complexity of flavor with berries, chocolate and dried meat. Some cedar, too. Full body. Vertical and very long. Purity of fruit and tannins to this wine. Needs two or three years to soften. Release in 2020. Better after 2022…96 points.” It showed more ‘bones’, especially alongside the Pintia. But there’s a lot to like and it will perform nicely with a little air and last a decade or two in the cellar. An exceptional Alion overall, one of the best.
For reference, the Valbuena is essentially a ‘second’ wine of Vega Sicilia , though Senor Alvarez was clearly not down with calling it that. It is always released on its fifth birthday. We have had several vintages of Valbuena but this is by far the most open and engaging, relatively speaking. Often this wine is so structured it is hard to grasp early on. For that reason Vega Sicilia Ribera del Duero Valbuena 5o 2015 kind of took us by surprise. Don’t get us wrong. This is no little quaffer by any stretch. But the fact that there is more flesh on the evident structure is a pleasant departure. According to notes we read, there has been an effort to make Valbuena a bit more compelling. Mission accomplished.
Valbuena didn’t usually play that well with the critics by and large either. But over the last seven vintages it has held its own with some of the world’s great ‘first’ wines. From Wine Advocate, “The 2015 Valbuena, a red blend of mostly Tempranillo with some 5% Merlot, is released in the fifth year after the harvest. It’s explosive and showy, with a complex nose that shows a mixture of flowers and wild herbs, balsamic touches and great nuance…96 points.”
Once again Suckling speaks from the heart, “The aromas to this are so complex and enticing with nutmeg, dark berries, chocolate and white pepper. Full body. Dense and layered with so much wonderful, complex and succulent character. It just makes you want to drink it. Drink or hold…97 points.” Both scores were high water marks for this bottling.
In all honesty, you probably don’t need us to tell you about the Vega Sicilia Unico 2010. Seriously, this is from one of the world’s greatest wineries in one of Spain’s greatest vintages. In our minds it’s like telling you to buy Lafite or Romanee Conti, or it should be. Suffice it to say this is ‘one for the ages’ that will last as long as you want it too. A 97 from Wine Advocate and a 99 from James Suckling, this is rarified air. Gutierrez had an intriguing observation, “…It feels quite ripe and somehow old style, dominated by ripe black fruit, with a rustic and earthy touch. It has an ample palate, concentrated and powerful, with some earthy tannins.”
In other
words classic Vega Sicilia with this effort having a certain timelessness that
connects with its past yet offers its own story. Suckling cheerleads again, “This is still very tight and closed with so much
depth and beauty. The linear line to this is very vertical and draws you down.
It shows intense blackberry, dark-chocolate, hazelnut and walnut character.
Full body. Chewy yet extremely polished. Precise. Shows decadence. So drinkable
already, but better in 2022.” A must for
serious collectors to say the least.
