between Tempos Vega Sicilia and the Winemaking Company Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Both firms share the idea of making great wines in Rioja, a unique, singular, inimitable wine-

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Vega Sicilia needs no introduction and is considered, by most, to be one of the top ten wineries in the world.

They cater to a very select clientele in 85 countries, and even then only exports 40 percent of its limited production of 130,000 bottles a year. The other 60 percent is sold in Spain. The jewel in the winery’s crown, Vega Sicilia Unico, takes 10 years to produce. The Valbuena is not a second wine. Rather, it is a different expression that has aged for less time, and will drink sooner, than Unico. It is a wine that comes from the younger vines and, it is mostly made with the varieties of Tempranillo and Merlot, rather than Cabernet Sauvignon.

Bodegas Alión was formed in 1986 as a winery which would be run independently to its big brother, the great Vega Sicilia. This 85-hectare wine estate was founded by the Álvarez family to provide a modern expression of Ribera del Duero wine. 35 hectares of the estate is located around the winery, with a further 50 hectares dedicated to Alión within the historic Vega Sicilia vineyards. Unlike Vega Sicilia, where we find a merging of the traditional and modern winemaking techniques, Alión is made using state-of-the-art equipment. Forward and uncompromising, these are wines with impressive frames and show an alternative side of Tinto Fino.

Pintia realizes the desire of the Álvarez family to make the best Toro wine, a designation that gives wines body, exoticism, an explosion of aromas, and a modern personality and character. For this, since the harvest of 1997, 70 hectares of vineyard have been bought in different places within the Designation of Origin. After four years´ study of the concept of the wine, it is begun to be made in 2001 for commercial purposes. The strategy of this new winery is common to all those in the group: make wines with personality and high quality, which implies limited production of wine.

The latest adventure for the Alvarez family is Macan in Rioja. Composed exclusively of Tempranillo grapes harvested from 40+ year-old vines, Bodegas Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia Macán has been very limited in production since its first vintage in 2009. A great Spanish wine crafted in the French style, this Macán leverages the full potential of the Rioja terrain for an elegant, distinguished wine that is powerful and persistent.

Due to high demand, all of these wines are limited in availability.

Salud!

Vintage Imports TeamVINTAGE IMPORTS

200 Rittenhouse Circle West #5 * Bristol, PA 19007 215.788.1300 * [email protected]

DESCRIPTION

Valbuena is the pure expression of a red at Vega Sicilia, with an ageing process, from barrel to bottle, which lasts five years and gives its name: Valbuena 5º (5th).

Both new and used 225-litre French and American oak barrels and 8.500-litre vats are used for a long and complex process for perhaps, the wine which has evolved the most in the last few years.

Valbuena 5º presents its splendor in each vintage and a direct view of the greatness of its soil, where 140 hectares of land are dedicated to this wine; weather conditions each year make a distinction on the vintage.

Thanks to the extraordinary job in the vineyard and a second year ageing in tanks, today Valbuena 5º 2013 is vibrant and rich.

2013 VINEYARD CYCLE

Mild winter with temperatures slightly higher than usual and lower rainfall brought forward bud break 7 days, although precipitation in spring and relatively low temperatures caused a delay in both flowering and veraison, 10 days compared to last year.

Normal temperatures in summer, yet partly dry, with some showers caused no damage. Day temperature, as usual in September, though decrease in low temperatures, resulting in a wide temperature range between day and night.

Harvest took place starting end of September up to mid-October with abundant rainfall; so the enormous work in the vineyard reflects the grapes´ perfect sanitary conditions and ripeness level when entering the winery.

PRODUCTION

150.650 Bordeaux bottles, 5.520 Mágnum bottles, 339 Double-Mágnum bottles and 26 Imperial bottles.

STORAGE, SERVING AND DRINKING WINDOW

These wines are ready for drinking now but may potentially be stored for approximately 20 - 30 years if kept in optimum conditions (12-14 ºC) at 60% relative humidity, and constant temperature, protected from direct light.

Optimum drinking temperature is 18 ºC.

BOTTLED DATE

June 2015.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Alcohol by volume 14 %

Variety 95% Tinto Fino and 5 % Merlot

Average age of vineyard 35 years

Vineyard surface area 210 ha

Planting density 2.222 plants/ha

Altitude 700 m

Yield 3.600 kg/ha

Harvest Hand-picked in 12kg cases

TASTING NOTESVALBUENA 5º 2013

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Cropped from an unusually cold and rainy vintage in which they will not bottle Único, the 2013 Valbuena is always released in its fifth year. It’s mostly Tempranillo with 5% Merlot that was put through a three- to four-day cold soak in the oak vats where it fermented with indigenous yeasts and was pumped over. It matured in new and used 225-liter French and American oak barriques and also in 20,000-liter oak vats, where the

larger vessels respect the fruit, especially in a more fragile vintage like 2013. It’s a very elegant and fresh

Valbuena with a developed nose, quite classical with a fine texture, elegant tannins and a supple, long finish

where the oak is still quite obvious. I liked it very much and consider it a triumph over the challenges of the year. 150,650 bottles and some larger formats were

produced. It was bottled in June 2015.

Valbuena2013

94points

DESCRIPTION

Of the 1.000 hectares which make up the Vega Sicilia estate, 210 are used for wine growing, under 19 soil-types divided into 52 plots with very specific characteristics. The influence of the Duero river’s flow and the passage of time have been vital in forming these soils.

40 of these hectares are used to produce Unico with a minimum 10-year ageing process, including both barrel and bottle, probably the world’s longest. 225-litre French and American oak barrels, both new and used, 20,000-litre tanks.

A long complex process for a legendary wine.

Like UNICO 2005, UNICO 2006 was bottle aged for an additional two years and rewards us with an ample, profound, silky wine to keep in memory.

2006 VINEYARD CYCLE

Winter was particularly cold, including winter frost, frequent rain and snow at the end of February. Budding took place the third week of April due to the rise in temperature.

Spring registered normal rainfall but abnormally high temperatures which brought forward showers the first week of April. There were cold nights at the end of May, beginning of June, though, fortunately the plant did not suffer significant damage.

High temperatures continued along throughout June leading to an early flowering. Summer was normal with the beginning of budding the second week of August. High temperatures on the last two weeks of August and first week of September provoked early ripening in some plots, starting harvest September 9th. Showers in mid-September delayed the rest of the harvest reaching a well-balanced ripeness and tremendous sanity.

PRODUCTION

93.993 Bordeaux bottles, 2,552 Mágnum bottles, 165 Double-Mágnum bottles and 6 Imperial bottles.


These wines are ready for drinking now but may potentially be stored for approximately 40 - 60 years if kept in optimum conditions (12-14 ºC) at 60% relative humidity, and constant temperature, protected from direct light.


BOTTLED DATE

June 2012.

GENERAL INFORMATION


Variety 94% Tinto Fino and 6% Cabernet-Sauvignon




Altitude 700 m

Yield 3.600 kg/ha

Harvest Hand-picked in 12kg cases

TASTING NOTESUNICO 2006

Unico2006

100points

Incredibly floral and beautiful with dark berry, spice, cedar and mint. Chinese plums. Asian spices. Bark. Tea. Full body, dense and so soft and complex. The

finish goes on for minutes. Endless and fine. January 2017 release. This reminds me of the gorgeous 1991

or 1964. Drink forever. A wine that you want to spend time with.

Incredibly floral and beautiful with dark berry, spice, cedar and mint. Chinese plums. Asian spices. Bark. Tea. Full body, dense and so soft and complex. The

finish goes on for minutes. Endless and fine. January 2017 release. This reminds me of the gorgeous 1991

or 1964. Drink forever. A wine that you want to spend time with.

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DESCRIPTION

Bodegas Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia was born in 2004 as a result of the joint venture between Tempos Vega Sicilia and the Winemaking Company Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Both firms share the idea of making great wines in Rioja, a unique, singular, inimitable wine-growing region. After a five year period of terroirs evaluation and acquisition of 92 has. of vineyard, the project takes shape in 2009 with the first vintage of our two wines, Macán and Macán Clásico. Our philosophy is to offer a modern and unique vision of Rioja following the Bordeaux model of a first and second wine.

Macán Clásico is a wine deeply attached to its territory. Freshness, fruitiness and delicacy are its signs of identity. It is produced in stainless steel casks; part of its malolactic fermentation in oak; new oak and single use barrel ageing for 12 to 14 months determined only by the characteristics of the vintage. It is balanced in bottle for over 18 months.

Macán Clásico offers the purest expression of Rioja´s Tempranillo. It is fresh, jovial and pleasant.

2014 VINEYARD CYCLE

Abundant rainfall and cool winter weather provoked delay in the start of vineyard´s cycle. The situation improved due to high temperatures in spring, early summer and evenly spread rainfall registered in key moments for optimal plant development. These favorable conditions, that represented a healthy vine management, were reinforced with warm weather in July and August. Despite the delay in the cycle´s initiation, ripening suffered a noticeable acceleration up to the point of being a few days ahead of a normal campaign.

Harvest took place last week of September and the first week of October and in spite of the high temperature episodes and sporadic rainfall, the grapes were high quality.

PRODUCTION

68.468 Bordeaux bottles, 1.042 Mágnum bottles, 35 Double-Mágnum bottles and13 Imperial bottles.


These wines are ready for drinking now but may potentially be stored for approximately 15 years if kept in optimum conditions (12-15 ºC) at 60% relative humidity, and constant temperature, protected from direct light.


BOTTLED DATE

May 2016

GENERAL INFORMATION

Alcohol by volume 14,5 %

Variety Tempranillo


Vineyard surface area 92 ha split between Ábalos, Labastida,

El Villar and San Vicente de la Sonsierra


Altitude 500 m

Yield 3.500 kg /ha

Harvest Hand-picked in 12 kg. cases

TASTING NOTESMACÁN CLÁSICO 2014

2013

GENERAL INFORMATION


Variety Tempranillo


Vineyard surface area 90 ha (split between Samaniego, Ábalos, Baños de Ebro, Labastida,El Villar and San Vicente de la Sonsierra)

Planting density 3,333 plants/ha

Altitude 500 m

Yield 3,500 kg /ha

PRODUCTION

52,000 bordeaux bottles, 2,062 magnum bottles, 78 double magnum bottles and 19 imperial bottles.

BOTTLED DATE

June 2015.

DESCRIPTION

Rioja is passion, tenacity and tradition, and Bodegas Benjamín de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia aim to express these values in this unique land. A new project deeply rooted in history, based on admiration for Rioja´s wine-growing trajectory, maturing through time and evolving into two great wines: Macán and Macán Clásico.

This is the fruit of a decade of painstaking work. First, in the search for and acquisition of 90 hectares of maximum quality land that today make up Bodegas Benjamín de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia. Second, Macán & Macán Clásico were born in the year 2009 after many years of tests. And third, with the construction of state of the art winemaking and ageing facilities in Samaniego, a new winery is being built on the slopes of Rioja and the Cantabria Mountain Range.

Macán is Bodegas Benjamín de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia´s flagship. It is elegance and depth. Its freshness and fruitiness is the result of a meticulous grape selection from our best “pagos” (vineyards) in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. Its fineness and complexity is expressed in its making in oak casks with a 20% malolactic fermentation in barrel. Its silky tannin is a genuine result of very old vines, variety Tempranillo, along with cautious ageing of 14 months using only extra-fine grain french wood. It’s a reflexive, intense wine relating to modern times. Complicated year in terms of weather conditions, where vineyard work is reflected in the quality of the wine. A great deal of selection to attain its maximum potential, bringing out a tremendously elegant, subtle, harmonious and fresh wine.

2013 VINEYARD CYCLE

Mild winter with rain throughout the entire season. Cold spring causing a slow budding. Cool summer with an adequate thermal contrast between day and night at end of cycle. Veraison in mid-August (15 days late according to average) and a later harvest compared to previous years; precipitation and low temperatures during harvest.


These wines are ready for drinking now but may potentially be stored for approximately 15-20 years if kept in optimum conditions (12-15 ºC) at 60% relative humidity, and constant temperature, protected from direct light.


TASTING NOTES

Tasting the 2012 and 2014 vintages, I was also offered the 2013 Macán to see its evolution in bottle. Sorting and selecting was key in a

challenging vintage like 2013, resulting in an elegant, subtle, harmonious and fresh Macán.

52,000 bottles, 2,062 magnums and some larger formats were filled in June 2015.

The 2014 Macán Clásico is pure Tempranillo from 92 hectares of vineyards in Ábalos, Labastida, El Villar and San Vicente de la

Sonsierra. It fermented after a cold soak followed by malolactic partly in barriques and an élevage

of 12 to 14 months in new and second use French oak barrels. It’s still quite young and undeveloped, with good consistency—juicy,

integrated and balanced. The Macán wines seem to be coming of age. It was bottled in May 2016. 68,468 bottles, 1,042 magnums and some larger

formats were produced.

+ =

93points

92+points

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MACAN CLASSICO 2014 MACAN 2013

DESCRIPTION

130 hectares of land, unbeatably located on the banks of the Duero River, produce a modern, independent 100% Tinto Fino. These plots, which complement each other, united by the same viticulture as Vega Sicilia, have given rise to firm structured wines.

Alión, of outstanding personality, is aged in new French oak barrels for 12 to 14 months and later bottled until it is ready for drinking. It is, without a doubt, the most universal wine of the family.

Alión is intense, complex, full-bodied, where elegance plays a differentiating role being the winery´s sign of identity. Its modern, genuine and multicultural character makes it easy to pair.

Alión 2014 is specially ample, voluptuous, appealing and tremendously velvety.

2014 VINEYARD CYCLE

Soft winter with low rainfall in comparison to the ordinary.

Spring began with higher temperatures than usual in both April and May, producing an early budding, 8 days in average. Temperatures began to drop in mid-May to normal values for the season with a few cool nights yet no frost. Good fruit set this year, mainly due to green pruning per plot to obtain optimum balance.

Summer started with moderate temperatures until the end of August, rising in September (higher than usual) helping in reaching favorable ripeness. Several storms in summer causing no major damage in our Pesquera and Padilla vineyards.

Harvest start date was September 20th and ended with stupendous ripeness and sanity on October 3rd.

PRODUCTION

284.284 Bordeaux bottles, 6,540 Mágnum bottles, 531 Double-Mágnum bottles and 66 Imperial bottles.


These wines are ready for drinking now but may potentially be stored for approximately 15-20 years if kept in optimum conditions (12-14 ºC) at 60% relative humidity, and constant temperature, protected from direct light.


BOTTLED DATE

June 2016.

GENERAL INFORMATION


Variety Tinto Fino


Vineyard surface area 130 ha (split between Padilla,

Valbuena de Duero and Pesquera)


Altitude 750 m

Yield 3.600 kg/ha

Harvest Hand-picked in 12-kg cases

TASTING NOTESALION 2014

2014 is a better vintage in Ribera del Duero than in Rioja, and the 2014 Alión, shows it. Sourced from 130 hectares of Tinto Fino (Tempranillo)

in Ribera del Duero and possibly the most modern of the Vega Sicilia Group wines, it’s

silky, voluptuous and jammy, ripe and generous without being too much. The grapes fermented

with indigenous yeasts in oak vats, and the wine matured in new and second use French

barriques for 12 to 14 months. It’s quite ripe and powerful yet balanced and with great freshness. The palate is medium to full-bodied with lots of fruit, juicy and showy, modern without excess. 284,284 bottles along with 6,500 magnums and some larger formats were produced. You might want to give it some more time in bottle. It was

bottled in June 2016.

94 points

2014

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TASTING NOTEPINTIA 2013

DESCRIPTION

Pintia is located on the banks of the Duero River, within the Toro Appellation. The extreme weather conditions, very cold in the winter and intense heat in the summertime, act upon its complex soils characterized by large amount of pebbles.

As part of our determination to achieve the elegance of a Vega Sicilia, it is essential to choose just the right time to harvest so as to safeguard the freshness of aromas and the wine’s acidity.

During the ageing process, we aim to fine-tune its personality by undertaking malolactic fermentation in 70% French oak barrels, 25% American oak and 5% Hungarian oak, later resting in the bottle until it is perfect for drinking.

Pintia 2013 is a wine of great colour intensity and profound layers. It has a frank and expressive nose and intense fruity aroma mixed with a subtle woodiness. This vintage offers a very noticeable structure and personality. It is remarkably fresh, energetic, elegant, with a long journey ahead of it.

2013 VINEYARD CYCLE

Rainy winter of mild temperatures. Spring starts with a slight delay at bud break along with frost on April 27th (-4ºC) which causes the vineyard to suffer different levels of damage in each plot. Lower temperatures than usual continue in May leading to a 15-day delay in flowering.

Growing delay extends through June and July with heavy rainfall which causing damage in several plots in Villaester. Veraison is twelve days late compared to 2012. August and September were hot and dry resulting in great balance of the grapes. Harvest took place between September 26th and October 15th along with sporadic showers causing no major problems.

PRODUCTION

149.449 Bordeaux bottles, 5.558 Mágnum bottles, 400 Double-Mágnum bottles, 35 Imperial bottles.


These wines are ready for drinking now but may potentially be stored for approximately 10 years if kept in optimum conditions (12-14 ºC) at 60% relative humidity, and constant temperature, protected from direct light.


BOTTLED DATE

April 2015.

GENERAL INFORMATION


Variety Tinta de Toro




Altitude 700 m

Yield 3.500 kg/ha

Harvest Hand-picked in 12 kg cases

93 points

2013 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, elegance 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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Documents

between Tempos Vega Sicilia and the Winemaking Company Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Both firms share the idea of making great wines in Rioja, a unique, singular, inimitable wine-