Vega Sicilia’s 2025 releases: Singularity beyond Unico

2024 was a big year for Vega Sicilia. The Ribera del Duero powerhouse celebrated its 160th anniversary – not least with a lavish event at London’s National Gallery, under the watchful eye of dramatic masterpieces from the Spanish Masters – and rose to the top of Liv-Ex’s Power 100 ranking.

Perhaps a landmark moment that marked the beginning of a new chapter in the world of fine wines, one in which ‘outperforming underdogs’ have become established frontrunners.

The momentous year built up anticipation for Tempos Vega Sicilia’s 2025 releases – in particular the 2015 iteration of the iconic Unico.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of Tempos Vega Sicilia’s 2025 releases, including Unico 2015

A new, personal chapter

It was not just among critics and collectors that Unico 2015 created a pre-release buzz. The vintage had a particular meaning for technical director Gonzalo Iturriaga, who presented the first Unico produced under his full leadership with a mix of nervousness and joy.

It was in 2015 that Iturriaga took over from Xavier Ausàs after his lauded 25-year tenure at the helm of Tempos Vega Sicilia (TVS) following the retirement of the great Mariano García.

Big shoes to fill no doubt, especially considering the ambitious portfolio growth led by Ausàs.

Iturriaga is humble – and pragmatic – and admits that the responsibility he inherited relies more on the preservation of a style and lineage than leaving a personal imprint.

And yet it is impossible for a winemaker not to lead his wines along a preferred path.

Iturriaga’s steps seem to follow a gentle classicism, built upon technical ability and expressive restraint. This allows the style of Vega Sicilia and the character of the vintages to come through with vividness.

It is therefore perhaps a combination of personality and vintage that shapes Unico 2015. Its completeness and roundness provide an interesting counterpoint to 2014’s sharper edges.

If one of Unico’s hallmarks is approachability upon release (and its equal potential for cellaring – not an easy technical feat), 2015 does not disappoint.

Plural takes on uniqueness

Unico’s younger Ribera del Duero siblings also perform well in two vintages – 2020 for Valbuena 5º and 2021 for Alión.

Each wine is also meaningful for Iturriaga: the former requiring him to spend long stretches alone in the cellar due to the pandemic; the latter for its expressiveness and energy.

2021 ‘is a super vintage,’ said Iturriaga. ‘I love its detail and potential. We’ll see great wines from this year. And 2024 promises something similar.’

Being responsible for the flagship Ribera del Duero range is perhaps the most visible but arguably not the hardest of Iturriaga’s tasks as TVS’s technical director.

Overseeing the projects in Rioja (Macán, in partnership with Benjamin de Rothschild) and Toro (Pintia), pose a different set of challenges and, in a way, higher scrutiny, as they stand against more-established names in both regions.

In Rioja, the shared responsibility of building a brand alongside Benjamin de Rothschild might seem easier than it is. Perceived as ‘outsiders’, the Macán wines are yet carving their space.

In the bottle one finds really elegant – and, again, technically pristine (which is not to say they are ‘technical wines’) – examples of modern Rioja.

Both Macán 2020 and Macán Clásico 2021 show purity of fruit and increasingly deft wood integration (one of Iturriaga’s ongoing concerns).

He’s also working on incorporating greater percentages of grapes (namely Garnacha and Graciano) that he believes will benefit the balance of the Macán wines.

To this end, the partnership is currently planting its own field blends.

Ripeness with bite

Having had the opportunity to tour the Pintia winery with Iturriaga, I was impressed by the pragmatic, highly-efficient design, one which he contributed himself and indeed reflects his reflective, precise, no-nonsense demeanour.

The latter is reflected in the wines produced there. They capture, with technical acumen, the powerful essence of Toro’s old, ungrafted vines. Fruit intensity and vibrant acid are leveraged to integrate alcohol and tame the tannins.

This technical ability is again showcased in the newly-released 2020 vintage. Iturriaga mentions that picking at the precise right time (‘we like to harvest “al dente”, when the grapes are mature but still retain a good crunch,’ he explains) and managing maceration are key.

But there are also clear signs of the new approach to ageing, with some batches matured in clay amphorae. This seems to help carve the tannins and give polish to the flavours, while retaining the alluring, savoury rusticity that is so characteristic of Toro’s best wines.

It’ll be interesting to see where Iturriaga and his team take Pintia having recently started to work with field blends peppered with Garnacha.

Eastern promises

An increasingly important part of the TVS portfolio, the Oremus wines have so far been classic examples of ‘old-school’ Tokaj: technically correct, pure but perhaps allowing winemaking and style to take the lead.

I was therefore pleasantly surprised by the latest vintage of the Mandolás Dry Furmint. It marks a departure from a ‘style first’ approach, allowing for the true character of the Hungarian grape to come through.

Furmint’s filigree aromatics lift the textural richness and moreish nuttiness, showing how a lighter hand in the cellar can underscore complexity and character. Iturriuaga confirmed that this is the desired vision for all of Oremus’ wines.

I’ll therefore be curious to taste, in 2026, the 2021 vintage of the longer-aged Petrács, whose current, 2020 release doesn’t yet show the expressiveness of the Mandolás 2021.

Overall, TVS’ 2025 releases show consistency but also an ever so gentle change in trajectory, no doubt a function of Iturriaga’s soft confidence and attentive listening skills.

Tempos Vega Sicilia 2025 releases scored and tasted:

Wines grouped by style and ordered by score

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