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.
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 93 (WA) |
Inc. GST
SG$1,354.24 |
|||||
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. GST
SG$1,080.63 |
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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 | 4 | 94 (TA) |
Inc. GST
SG$1,005.42 |
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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. GST
SG$934.61 |
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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 | 2 | 95 (VN) |
Inc. GST
SG$812.51 |
|||||
Vinous (95)Saturated ruby. Expansive cherry, black raspberry, potpourri and exotic spice aromas are complemented by subtle licorice and woodsmoke flourishes. Vibrant and sharply focused in the mouth, with a spine of juicy acidity adding focus to palate-staining black and blue fruit liqueur, violet pastille, mocha and spicecake flavors. The floral quality resonates emphatically on the clinging finish, which features lingering cherry and smoky mineral notes. There's noteworthy elegance here, a trait that's not exactly common for Toro. |
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|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 98 (VN) |
Inc. GST
SG$3,281.38 |
|||||
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. GST
SG$3,697.74 |
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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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|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 95 (WA) |
Inc. GST
SG$1,837.13 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (95)The 2012 Valbuena was cropped from a vintage with a very dry and warm summer that resulted in very healthy grapes. Since the 2010 vintage, this wine is fermented plot by plot following the findings from a soils study they did. The élevage is in French and American oak barrels that on average lasts some 18 months followed by another 18 months in 20,000-liter oak vats, but of course some lots had more time in barrique and others more time in vat. It has ripe tannins and a powerful mouthfeel but with a soft texture. Even if it's not widely mentioned, it always has had some French grapes, mainly Merlot, but this 2012 is the first Valbuena ever to be really 100% Tempranillo—because the Merlot didn't behave well in this warm and dry year. It follows the path opened by the 2010, more precise and elegant, rounded by that extra time in larger vats to finish polishing the tannins. I find this 2012 halfway between 2010 and 2011. It has depth and elegance, more serious than Alión, which is always the (maybe unfair) comparison. 174,545 bottles and some larger formats were filled in April 2014. |
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|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 96 (WA) |
Inc. GST
SG$2,133.59 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (96)The 2016 Valbuena was produced with a blend of 94% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 6% Merlot from 140 hectares dedicated to this wine. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, and the first year it matured in barrels (75% French, 25% American) and the second year in large oak vats. This is again a floral and elegant vintage of Valbuena, very much in line with what has happened in the best vintages since 2010. 2016 is going to be a wine that the public is going to like; it has an extroverted personality and is perfumed and generous, juicy and tasty and nicely textured, with fine-grained tannins and very focused and clean flavors. 2016 was a year of very good freshness in Ribera del Duero, a year they like even better than 2018. 182,882 bottles, 6,030 magnums and a few larger formats were produced. It was bottled in June 2019. |
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|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 97 (TA) |
Inc. GST
SG$1,376.04 |
|||||
Tim Atkin MW (97)Produced entirely with estate fruit since the 1996 vintage, Valbuena combines Tinto Fino with 4% Merlot that's planted in the lower part of the farm close to the Duero river. Showing the structure and focus of the 2018 vintage, this is a scented, complex, savoury red that's just starting to get into its stride, with Mediterranean herb scents, fine tannins and some underlying grip and minerality. |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 93 (WA) |
In Bond
SG$1,185.00 |
|||||
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. |
|||||||||
|
Castilla y Leon | 5 | 96 (JS) |
In Bond
SG$932.00 |
|||||
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 | 4 | 94 (TA) |
In Bond
SG$863.00 |
|||||
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
SG$802.00 |
|||||
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 | 2 | 95 (VN) |
In Bond
SG$688.00 |
|||||
Vinous (95)Saturated ruby. Expansive cherry, black raspberry, potpourri and exotic spice aromas are complemented by subtle licorice and woodsmoke flourishes. Vibrant and sharply focused in the mouth, with a spine of juicy acidity adding focus to palate-staining black and blue fruit liqueur, violet pastille, mocha and spicecake flavors. The floral quality resonates emphatically on the clinging finish, which features lingering cherry and smoky mineral notes. There's noteworthy elegance here, a trait that's not exactly common for Toro. |
|||||||||
|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 98 (VN) |
In Bond
SG$2,955.00 |
|||||
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
SG$3,335.00 |
|||||
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. |
|||||||||
|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 95 (WA) |
In Bond
SG$1,630.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (95)The 2012 Valbuena was cropped from a vintage with a very dry and warm summer that resulted in very healthy grapes. Since the 2010 vintage, this wine is fermented plot by plot following the findings from a soils study they did. The élevage is in French and American oak barrels that on average lasts some 18 months followed by another 18 months in 20,000-liter oak vats, but of course some lots had more time in barrique and others more time in vat. It has ripe tannins and a powerful mouthfeel but with a soft texture. Even if it's not widely mentioned, it always has had some French grapes, mainly Merlot, but this 2012 is the first Valbuena ever to be really 100% Tempranillo—because the Merlot didn't behave well in this warm and dry year. It follows the path opened by the 2010, more precise and elegant, rounded by that extra time in larger vats to finish polishing the tannins. I find this 2012 halfway between 2010 and 2011. It has depth and elegance, more serious than Alión, which is always the (maybe unfair) comparison. 174,545 bottles and some larger formats were filled in April 2014. |
|||||||||
|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 96 (WA) |
In Bond
SG$1,900.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (96)The 2016 Valbuena was produced with a blend of 94% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 6% Merlot from 140 hectares dedicated to this wine. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, and the first year it matured in barrels (75% French, 25% American) and the second year in large oak vats. This is again a floral and elegant vintage of Valbuena, very much in line with what has happened in the best vintages since 2010. 2016 is going to be a wine that the public is going to like; it has an extroverted personality and is perfumed and generous, juicy and tasty and nicely textured, with fine-grained tannins and very focused and clean flavors. 2016 was a year of very good freshness in Ribera del Duero, a year they like even better than 2018. 182,882 bottles, 6,030 magnums and a few larger formats were produced. It was bottled in June 2019. |
|||||||||
|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 97 (TA) |
In Bond
SG$1,205.00 |
|||||
Tim Atkin MW (97)Produced entirely with estate fruit since the 1996 vintage, Valbuena combines Tinto Fino with 4% Merlot that's planted in the lower part of the farm close to the Duero river. Showing the structure and focus of the 2018 vintage, this is a scented, complex, savoury red that's just starting to get into its stride, with Mediterranean herb scents, fine tannins and some underlying grip and minerality. |