Ribera del Duero Producers

Question 1

What event exploded Unico onto the world stage?

Answer 1

The 1929 Barcelona World’s Fair

• 1917 and 1918 vintages

Question 2

Who founded Vega Sicilia?; in what year?

Answer 2

• Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves
• 1864

Question 3

Name three vintages in which Vega Sicilia did not release Único.

Answer 3

• 1988
• 1992
• 1993
• 1997
• 2001

Question 4

How long does Único age?; Valbuena 5^o?

Answer 4

• Único
  
  • Ages at least 10 years
    
    • 1-2 yrs in 50/50 French and American oak
      
      • All new on the French, 1-4 yo on the American
    • Then. 5+ years in large old oak, then 3-4 years in bottle
• Valbuena 5^o
  
  • Ages 3 years
    
    • mixed oak, and 2 in bottle
    • 5^o refers to the number of years in barrel

Question 5

Vega Sicilia

‘Riserva Especial’

Answer 5

Vega Sicilia Riserva Especial

• Their top offering (15,000 bottles released per year [vs 40,000+ of Único])
• Non-vintage blend of 2 to 3 vintages of Único

Question 6

When did Vega Sicilia add 8,000 L tanks to the winery?

Answer 6

2010

Question 7

How did Vega Sicilia break down the vineyard by age of vine?; what is the trellising?

Answer 7

• 20-25 year old vines for Valbuena
• 60-65 year old vines for Unico
• No fruit is used until the vine is at least 10 years old
• Vineyard is 80% Tempranillo, trained en vaso, plus Bordelais varieties trained en espalier

Question 8

What other wineries are owned by Vega Sicilia?

Answer 8

• Alion (Ribera del Duero)
• Pintia (Toro)
• Oremus (Tokaji)

Question 9

Which grapes were originally brought back by Chaves, but no longer exist at Vega Sicilia?

Answer 9

• Carmenere
• Pinot Noir

Question 10

What was Valbuena 3^o?

Answer 10

• reserva level wine w/ 3 total years of aging
• discontinued in 1988 to reduce confusion

Question 11

Where is Atauta?; how large is it?; what is special about the vines?

Answer 11

• Soria, in the town of Atauta
• Dominio de Atauta owns 15 ha, but control 40 ha, spread over 600 plots
• 90% of the entire acreage is ungrafted, and average age is over 60 years old
• Replanting by layering

Question 12

Atauta Single Vineyards

Answer 12

• La Mala
• Llanos del Almendro
• Valdegatiles

Question 13

Where is Sastre?

Answer 13

Burgos

• in the village of La Horra

Question 14

Sastre: Wines

Answer 14

• Tinto Crianza Rosado Flavus - Jaén, stainless, in collaboration with Gerardo Mendez of Do Ferreiro
• Pago de Santa Cruz - 900 M elevation single vineyard, 18 mos new Americn oak; also produced as Gran Reserva, 30 mos in old oak
• Pesus - 80 yo vines, 100% new french for 24 mos, 85% Tempranillo, plus Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot
• Regina Vides - 100 yo Tempranillo vines, 24 mos in new French oak

Question 15

Pingus

owner and winemaker

Answer 15

Peter Sisseck

• 1993, arrived in Spain to manage a new project, Hacienda Monasterio
• While planting and developing Monasterio, he began to dream about the old vines he saw dotted around Ribera del Duero
• 1995, Peter found a group of old vines that spurred him to embark on his own project, “Pingus,” after his childhood nickname

Question 16

What are Sisseck’s wines?

Answer 16

• Pingus - 80-100 yo vines, 50% new French, driven by elegance and concentration rather than power, first vintage 1995
• Flor de Pingus - different vineyards than Pingus, 60-70% new French, fermentation in stainless, meant to be consumed younger)
• PSI

Question 17

When was Emilio Moro founded?; when did wine production begin at the estate?

Answer 17

Emilio Moro

• est. 1932, with the planting of the Finca Resalso vineyard
• Winemaking began in 1988

Question 18

Emilio Moro: Wines

Answer 18

• Finca Resalso - entry level, named for the original estate vineyard
• Emilio Moro - flagship, 50/50 French/American
• Malleolus - 25-75 yo vines, new French
• Malleolus Valsderramiro - single vineyard, planted 1924
• Malleolus Pago de Sanchomartin - single vineyard, planted 1964

Question 19

What is Clon de la Familia?

Answer 19

Clon de la Familia

• Limited edition wine produced by Emilio Moro to benefit Wine Helps Water
• 2009 vintage

Question 20

When, where, and by whom was Tinto Pesquera founded?

Answer 20

• 1972
• Alejandro Fernandez in Pesquera
• Norh of Peñafiel in Valladolid

Question 21

What are Fernandez’s other estates?

Answer 21

• Condado de Haza - Ribera del Duero, 1980s
• Dehesa la Granja - Zamora, 1998
• El Vinculo - La Mancha, 1999

Question 22

Vega Sicilia History / Único

Answer 22

• Founded by Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves; in 1864 planted Bordeaux varietals and—curiously—a little Pinot Noir alongside Tinto del País (Tempranillo) in order to make brandy
• 1929, following an ownership change and a transition to estate-bottled table wines, new winemaker Domingo Txomin achieved international acclaim at the Barcelona World’s Fair with his 1917 and 1918 vintages of Único
• Único, blended from Tinto del País, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot and aged, often for a decade or more in American and French oak barrels, has long commanded extravagantly high prices, even as a simple vino de mesa—Ribera del Duero did not achieve DO status until 1982

Question 23

What is Vega Sicilia’s Toro offshoot?

Answer 23

Bodegas Pintia

Question 24

Pingus

vineyard information

Answer 24

• Soils: Limestone-rich clay and gravel
• Zone: La Horra
• Harvested by hand
• Vineyards:
  
  • Barrosso: 2.5 ha, > 65 yrs
  • San Cristobal: 1.5 ha >70 yrs

Question 25

Pingus winemaking

Answer 25

* **No fining or filtration** * **Minimal rackings** * **100% destemming** * **Biodynamic since 2000** * **'Amelia': 2003 inaugural vintage** * **'Flor': 2005 inaugural vintage**

Question 26

Pingus 'Amelia' Ribera del Duero

Answer 26

**'Amelia'** * **Single barrel cuvée made from a special parcel of 100+ yo vines** * **100% Tempranillo** * **Avg Yield: appx 10 hl/ha** * **Aging: 18 mo in 1 Darnajou barrique** * **Avg Prod: 25 cases**

Question 27

Pingus 'Flor de Pingus'

Answer 27

**Flor de Pingus** * **Rented vnyds (35+ yo vines), all from La Horra zone** * **100% Tempranillo** * **Avg Yield: 20-25 hl/ha** * **Oak Aging: 14 mo in mix of old and new barrique Avg Prod: 3,000cases**

Question 28

Pingus * Yield * Aging * Avg Prod

Answer 28

**Pingus** * **100% Tempranillo** * **Avg Yield: app 12 hl/ha** * **Aging: 18 mo in mix of old and new barrique** * **Avg Production: appx 300 cases**

Question 29

Burgos Producers

Answer 29

mostly W to E (Casa Mono) * **Pago de Los Capellanos** * **Viña Sastre** * **Goyo Garcia Viadero (Bod. Valduero)** * **Finca Torremilanos** * **Pingus, 'PSI', 'Flor de Pingus' (winery in Valladolid)**

Question 30

Producer near Peñafiel (Valladolid)

Answer 30

* **Alíon** * **Dehesa de Los Canónigos** * **Hacienda Monasterio** * **Matarromera** * **Emilio Moro** * **Pesquera** * **Conde de San Cristóbal** * **Legaris** mostly W to E, Atlas

Question 31

Valladolid Producers

Answer 31

W to E, Casa Mono Valbuena de Duero * Pingus winery * **Vega Sicilia, 'Valbuena', 'Unico', 'Unico Artist's Label 1.5L'** * **Finca Villacreces 'Nebro'** * **Hacienda Monasterio** * **Emilio Moro** * **Pesquera, 'Condado de Haza'**

Question 32

Soria Producers

Answer 32

**Dominio de Atauta** * **'Parada de Atauta'** * **'La Mala'** * **'Valdegatiles'** * **'Llanos del Almendro'** Casa Mono