Ribera del Duero Unico 1968 OWC 3 x 75cl - Bodegas Vega Sicilia

Vega Sicilia

Legendary Spanish wine

Vega Sicilia is a Spanish wine estate founded in 1864. Its creator, Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves, was a Bordeaux wine enthusiast, with a preference for the Médoc region. That's why, in 1868, he decided to plant French grape varieties (like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec…) in addition to the famous Spanish Tempranillo variety. He turned the plot of land inherited from his father into a bonafide vineyard, spanning hundreds of hectares. Thus, in 1882, there were more than 500,000 grapevines growing in the plains of the Ribera del Duero.

Despite the efforts of the Lecanda patriarch, financial troubles got the better of the young estate. In 1904, it was sold to the Herrero family, who changed the name of the business to "Vega Sicilia". Its chief winemaker back then was Domingo Garramiola Txomin, another Bordeaux buff. Domingo went further than Don Eloy, as he decided to use winemaking techniques popular in France and adapt them to Spanish wines. The very first cuvées were released in 1915: the "Unico" and the "Valbuena" (a nod to the Marquis de Valbuena, who originally sold the land to the Lecandas).

The cuvées were released. Not sold. The Herrero family never actually sold its wines. They were usually gifted to well-off friends of the family. Such an air of exclusivity gave birth to the legend to the Vega Sicilia estate: wines out of reach for the common people and you could never buy them, only earn them. Later on, when the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) broke out, the estate was strongly impacted. Forced to sell, the Herreros lost Vega Sicilia to the Alvarez family in 1982. Today, Pablo Alvarez is in charge of the entire business.

The yields are limited by design, with only 200,000 bottles produced each year by the estate. The quality of the grapes is absolutely crucial, which explains why some harvests are sometimes discarded and some vintages never sold to the public. A level of quality that goes hand in hand with a deep respect for nature, since Pablo is always trying out biodynamic methods as well, although the estate doesn't have any kind of certification. Vega Sicilia is also a member of the "Primum Familiae Vini" association, with the likes of Joseph Drouhin, Marchesi Antinori, the Perrin Family… In total, 12 of the most famous wine estates in the world are part of it.

Discover the wine made by the Vega Sicilia estate.