The wines of Tempos Vega Sicilia are recognised for their other-wordly quality and character. They produce several wines, including the great value Pintia from their Toro estate and Macan from their Rioja vineyards, but the focus is on Ribera del Duero and the Tinto Fino grape - the Ribera iteration of Tempranillo. Here they produce their entry-level Alion, a hugely popular wine made for earlier drinking, Valbuena, a high class red aged for 5 years in barrel and bottle before release, and two wines under the Vega Sicilia label: Unico, produced from a single vintage and aged up to 10 years before release, and Unico Reserva Especial, made from a blend of three Unico vintages and released once a year. Characteristically Vega is quite different to anything else. It is defined neither by length nor breadth; nor by fruit, nor structure, by power or by freshness. Somehow it manages to combine all these in a way that is reminiscent of great Bordeaux but with a unique and effortless sense of untapped energy rumbling underneath. The very fact that it ages so magnificently, and yet can be approached at almost any time during its life, is testament to its balance. Under winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga de Juan, Vega has arguably never been better and he brings to bear his extraordinary ability to ‘tame’ the wild nature of Ribera de Duero with incredible skill and precision. His tannin management is among the very best anywhere in the world creating a sense of structure and power and yet always allowing the fruit and freshness to take centre stage.
