wine dinner
Vega Sicilia Hosted by Head Wine Maker, Xavier Ausás
Tuesday 5th November, 2019 selection of canapés Foie Gras & Pistachio Lollipop Roasted Celeriac & Truffle Ricotta Goat’s Cheese & Beetroot Tart
Champagne Jacquesson Cuvée 741 n.v.
tuna & hamachi crudo Squid Ink Ketchup & Tarragon Oil
Tokaji Mandolas Dry Furmint Oremus 2017
roasted phesant breast Ceps & Jerusalem Artichoke
Ribera del Duero Vega Sicilia Valbuena 2014 venison saddle Sweet Potato & Black Mole Sauce
Ribera del Duero Vega Sicilia Único 1996
Ribera del Duero Vega Sicilia Único 2004
eton mess Pear & Maple Syrup
Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttunyos Oremus 2010
Chef: Julien Jouhannaud Sommelier: Clément Robert M.S.
a brief history Vega Sicilia
Vega Sicilia, Spain’s “first growth” and most prestigious wine estate, is located in Ribera del Duero. It was founded in 1864 by Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves, who arrived from Bordeaux with cuttings of local grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec) and planted them, together with Spain’s signature grape Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo) in the arid Ribera soils.
The winery begun building its formidable reputation after 1903 under the ownership of Antonio Herrero, winning a number of awards at home and overseas. The estate changed hands several more times before its acquisition by the current owners, the Álvarez family, in 1982.
The estate’s success is founded on its meticulous approach. In the vineyard it applies low yields, aided by green harvesting and painstaking selection at harvest. In the winery, wines are aged in any number of receptacles – using French and American, new and old oak, small barrels or huge vats – to engender further complexity. Despite prolonged barrel ageing, the fruit is never dried out or overly oaky – compelling evidence of the superb quality of its raw materials.
The Vega Sicilia range includes three cuvées: Único (literally translating as “unique”) is the flagship and their “entry-level” offering Valbuena 5° (an expression of Tinto Fino aged for five years, hence the “5°”). The top two wines are a blend of Tinto Fino with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and/ or Merlot, depending on the vintage. They are both aged for approximately 10 years prior to release, normally spending six of those in barrel and three in bottle.
This illustrious property laid the founding stone for Ribera del Duero, which is now acknowledged to be one of the best wine regions in Spain.
Vega Sicilia has now built up a portfolio which includes Bodegas Alion (providing a more modern expression of Ribera del Duero), Bodegas Pintia (in the emerging region Toro), Macán (a partnership with Benjamin de Rothschild) and the Hungarian Tokaji estate, Oremus.