If you're not familiar with this fabulous estate, suffice to say that it has often been described as the Château Lafite of Spain - and we couldn't agree more! From the more rustic Toro to their flagship Unico, the wines are polished, pure, effortless, and possess an impeccable sense of place. This offer is the perfect opportunity for you to grab the legendary wines of Vega Sicilia at a very advantageous price, including the very moreish Rioja collaboration with the Rothschild family and their rarely seen Tokaji Oremus from Hungary - make haste on this one as the wines are quite limited and bound to disappear quickly!
- TOKAJI (Hungary) -
2019 Mandolas Dry Furmint - $52 per bottle ; $59 rrp
"A sleek, balanced white, with bright acidity enlivening pretty aromas and flavors of almond blossom, white cherry and lemon peel. A streak of salinity races on the finish. Drink now." - 90 Points, Wine Spectator
2019 Late Harvest 500mL - $61 per bottle ; $69 rrp
At harvest several rounds are done, but only those bunches containing at least 50 % of botrytised berries are picked. After destemming, the berries are macerated for 4-12 hours and later pressed, giving the noble rot a leading role. Late Harvest is an interesting coupage of different grape varieties producing a well-balanced wine.
Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks for 20-30 days. The wine then ages in Hungarian oak barrels (136-litre "Gönc" and 220-litre "Szerednye") for three months and is refined in bottle for a 10-month ageing period. Late Harvest is a harmonious, fresh, silky wine. It is versatile when drunk, providing a new array of possibilities in each sip.
2015 Tokaji Aszu 3 Puttonyos 500mL - $86 per bottle ; $99 rrp
"Soft and creamy in texture, with flavors of pomegranate puree, candied kumquat, lanolin and a touch of salted almond buoyed by lightly tangy, orange peel acidity. Furmint, Hárslevelü, Zéta and Sárga Muskotály. Drink now through 2026." - 91 Points, Wine Spectator
- RIOJA (with Benjamin de Rothschild) -
2017 Macán Clásico - $95 per bottle ; $110 rrp
"The second wine is the 2017 Macán Clásico, which since 2016 has been vinified in the new “cuverie” that allows for a more precise extraction for each plot fermenting in stainless steel. In 2017, they reduced the new oak to 50%, and 10% of the volume was aged in American oak barrels crafted by the Vega Sicilia coopers. They were also more selective with the press wine. The élevage lasted 12 months, and the wine was kept in bottle for no less than 18 months. They lost two-thirds of the crop due to the terrible frost, and the end of the season was warm and dry with an early harvest. They did a softer everything, and the wine has a creamy and gentle quality, ripe without excess, a little in the style of the 2015, with finer tannins, a fine thread and texture and a long, dry and supple finish. This is definitely a warmer year for Macán Clásico but a triumph over the adverse conditions of the year." - 93 Points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
2016 Macán - $155 per bottle ; $179 rrp
An atypical and delicious Rioja. Forsaking the traditional use of American oak, the estate uses a mix of French oak and tanks to reveal the inherent minerality of the terroir and its complex fruit. A very precise wine, it was a beautiful surprise when tasted last. - TWE
"The 2016 Macán saw a new vinification by plot with the introduction of their new fermentation room. The Tempranillo came from selected vineyards from their 92 hectares; it fermented in oak vats and matured in 4,000-liter and barriques (50/50) for some 16 months and was kept in bottle for three years before being released. They think this 2016 is finally the style they were looking for, a wine with density and freshness. 2016 was the first year they vinified and aged from start to finish in the new winery, and they believe that gave them better control over the fermentations. 2016 is a year with more freshness than 2015, and they are trying to achieve wines with more tension and less power and oak than in the beginning. This could very well be the finest vintage of Macán so far. The grapes were picked between September 17th and October 3rd." - 94+ Points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
- TORO (NW Spain) -
2016 Pintia Toro - $120 per bottle ; $139 rrp
Restrained power is the name of the game here. Yes, it is slightly rustic, but VS really has tamed the Tempranillo beast, with beautiful aromatics, excellent acidity and silky texture. The well integrated use of a touch of American oak really brings the wine together and underlines perfectly the ripe, pure fruit. - TWE
"The 2016 Pintia comes from a cooler but drier vintage, and the wine has a little less alcohol and more freshness. It fermented in oak vats and matured in mostly new and mostly French oak, but this year they used a little more American oak with the idea to increase density. 2016 was an atypical year in Toro; they had plenty of time to pick the grapes with lower alcohol and wines with more elegance. This is clearly a more elegant vintage than 2015. The wine has some notes that took me to the Northern Rhône, and the oak is neatly integrated—it seems to get better integrated in cooler years. There is a mix of black and red fruit that denotes good freshness. The palate is medium-bodied, with a distinct lack of rusticity and density, and it’s more fluid. It has abundant, chalky and fine-grained tannins and a supple, long and dry finish." - 95 Points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
- RIBERA DEL DUERO -
2017 Alión - $178 per bottle ; $205 rrp
Pretty and elegant, the Alion shows a different side of Tempranillo and Ribera del Duero, with bright red fruit, fine tannins, precision and focus. Add to that heady, bright, aromatics and you've got one hell of a wine. - TWE
"The 2017 Alión, the only wine produced here, comes from a challenging year marked by spring frost and a warm and dry end of the season, so they reduced the amount of new oak by 8%. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, and 10% of the volume aged in concrete, completely unoaked. The change in the oak regimen helped with the style of the vintage, which was marked by the frost that hit part of the Alión vineyards. Furthermore, the end of the season was warm and dry, and they had to work to control ripeness and power and perhaps the possibility of more aggressive tannins. It’s a classical Alión, with some developed aromas, juicy and round but not heavy, with just a tad of earthy rusticity. With time, it develops more balsamic notes and hints of licorice." - 94 Points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
2016 Valbuena 5˚ - $319 per bottle ; $369 rrp
Sometimes mistakenly called the second wine of the Estate, this classic Ribera is a constant overachiever. Dark fruit, chocolate and herby spice mingle with hints of dusty leather (in a good way!), and the palate is richly textured, but oh-so graceful. Stunning. - TWE
"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." - 96 Points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
Multi Vintage Único Reserva Especial (2021 release) - $1150 per bottle ; $1299 rrp SOLD OUT
- VERY RARE & LIMITED -
This unique wine is considered one of Spain's best for a reason, with Master of Wine Michael Broadbent calling it the Lafite of the country. This one is very fragrant, with spice, leather and even truffle layered seamlessly with dark, ripe fruit. Powerful, rich, even opulent, but balanced - nothing out of place. Another masterpiece from the estate. - TWE
"As has happened in the last few years, the NV Único Reserva Especial 2021 Release is composed of wines of around 10 years of age, in this case 2009, 2010 and 2011, with 2011 being the Único vintage released at the same time as this nonvintage blend. It’s a tribute to the tradition and the past times, a blend of mostly Tinto Fino, the local strain of Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero, and a little Cabernet Sauvignon where they look for the balance and house style by blending different vintages of Único. There are many similarities with the 2011, which can represent about one-third of the blend. There’s a little more development in the aromas, some of those ripe but herbal aromas and a powerful palate but without the elegance of the 2011 vintage bottling, which has more stuffing in the mid-palate. It finishes dry, with some tannins. It’s certainly younger and fresher than the Reserva Especial from yesteryear, and they are now trying to hold onto some wine to again give it some older components like in the recent past." - 95 Points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
To purchase any of the products in today's newsletter please use the links above, give us a call on (07) 3252 1117, or email info@thewineemporium.com.au - Prices valid until Friday 20th of May 2022.