What words can be conjured up to describe the wines of Vega Sicilia? These are truly special wines. But this is no modern, points-grabbing winery. Spain''s first growth has history, a sense of place and, says winemaker Xavier Ausas (right), a willingness to adhere to time-honoured traditions.
The foundations of these traditions may be found as far back as 1859, when Don Eloy Lecanda Chaves was gifted an estate by his wealthy father. Included were two adjacent plots of land, one of which was the Vega Sicilia estate. The origins of the Vega Sicilia winery are officially regarded as 1864, which was when Don Eloy Lecanda Chaves returned from his travels in Bordeaux with vine cuttings, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Carmenere - all of which were found in Bordeaux at that time - and, curiously, some Pinot Noir. Who on earth had this grape of Burgundy for sale in Bordeaux? The answer is not known. Regardless, the cuttings were duly propagated and planted at Vega Sicilia, although the Carmenere and Pinot Noir are no longer found in the Vega Sicilia vineyards.
Things did not initially go well, however, and the estate did not develop the reputation it enjoys today. By 1903 full ownership was obtained by Antonio Herrero, who, together with winery manager Domingo Garramiola, brought Vega Sicilia to the fore, winning a number of awards, and enjoying an international distribution. Time marched on, however, and the estate changed hands several more times before it''s acquisition by the current owners, the Alvarez family, in 1982.
Like all great wines, Vega Sicilia begins in the vineyard. The Tempranillo is trained in gobelet fashion, whereas the French varieties are trained in a Guyot system (see my account of vine training). Green harvesting is employed ruthlessly in order to control yields, and the harvest itself is meticulous (see notes on individual wines below for more information on the incredibly low yields, harvest dates and other practices). In the winery, such a massive wine will withstand many years in wood and Unico sees a complicated series of rackings from huge barrels to new oak, to used American oak, back to new oak again, and on it goes. Winemaker Xavier Ausas refers to these stages somewhat romantically as "muscularisation", "education", "recuperation" and so on. Whatever these phases are called, Unico certainly receives very prolonged barrel ageing, with the 1970 seeing over sixteen years! And yet these are not washed out, stretched, overly oaky wines when mature, testimony to the quality of the raw materials on which they are based.
The Vega Sicilia range has been rationalised from four to three four cuvées. Leading the pack are the Unico ("unique"), which is always of gran reserva quality, and a fascinating non-vintage blend named Reserva Especial. In addition there is a second wine, Valbuena 5°. This is always of reserva quality, the 5° designates that the cuvée has been aged for five years before release. The Valbuena 3° - aged for three years before release - was phased out in 1988 in order to reduce confusion. Although there is great respect for tradition at Vega Sicilia, there is also innovation. Most notably, the purchase of the nearby Alion estate so that Vega Sicilia could also produce a high quality wine for drinking young, without detracting from the fruit supply for Unico. Hopefully Vega Sicilia will continue with this combination of tradition and innovation - if the wines tasted here, encountered in a tutored tasting led by Jasper Morris MW with Vega Sicilia''s winemaker Xavier Ausas and export manager Rafael Alonso are any guide, it''s one that works. (23/12/03)
Contact details:
Address: Carretera N122, Km 323, 47359 Valbuena de Duero
Telephone: +34 983 680 147
Fax: +34 983 680 263
Internet: www.vega-sicilia.com
