The second wine in the Bordeaux sense is the 2019 Macán Clásico, a more concentrated and powerful wine cropped from a warmer and drier year that was saved by the 80 liters of rain in the first half of September. It fermented in stainless steel with 10% of their own yeasts, and the élevage was 22% in stainless steel and the rest in new and used oak barrels, mostly French but with around 5% of them American, and lasted 12 months. It has a moderate 14% alcohol, mellow acidity and good freshness and balance. 2019 was a dry and warm year when they did a soft vinification to avoid harsh tannins. The nose is ripe without excess, and the oak is neatly integrated. The palate is juicy and round, with fine tannins and a velvety texture. 77,316 bottles, 1,050 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in August 2021.

This year, my annual tasting of the full Vega Sicilia group portfolio coincided with the tasting of the wines from the Duero, so I've included them all here, even the Rioja project, their joint venture with Benjamin de Rothschild. Starting in 2021, they also started using oak vats for the aging of the wines from this Rioja project, something thy have been introducing in their wineries in the Duero region for some years now. The project has 92 hectares in the villages of Ábalos, Labastida, El Villar and San Vicente de la Sonsierra to produce an average of 300,000 bottles.