Vega Sicilia
Pintia
Castilla y Leon
2015

The producer

The winemaking tradition in the Toro region of Spain has ancient roots, dating back to times even earlier than the Roman era, as evidenced by archaeological finds in the area. Toro wines gained significant fame during the Middle Ages, particularly in the 12th and 13th centuries, when they were granted royal privileges, highlighting their esteemed status. It is also believed that these were the wines Christopher Columbus took with him on his voyage to discover America. Additionally, in the early 20th century, when France was devastated by the phylloxera plague, the Toro region was one of the key suppliers of wine to France, further cementing its historical importance in the world of winemaking.

In 1996, the Álvarez family, owners of Vega Sicilia, acquired Bodegas Pintia, drawn by the unique galet-strewn terroir in Toro, northern Spain. Their goal was to create an alternative expression of Vega Sicilia’s Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) from this site. Consistent with all TEMPOS Vega Sicilia wines, the harvest is done by hand, and in addition to meticulous selection on the vine, a double sorting process is performed in the winery.

The wine

The Pintia vineyard covers 96 hectares across various plots managed according to soil studies. It features Tinta de Toro grapevines, averaging 35 years old, with a traditional 3 x 3 meter planting pattern and a density of 1,000 plants per hectare, producing 3.5 kg per plant.

The vines grow in alluvial soil from the high terraces of the River Duero, around 700 meters above sea level. The sandy surface aids water infiltration and retention. The vineyard is mainly divided into two plots: Garabitas, with deep, moderately stony soil and abundant gravel limiting root growth and promoting early ripening; and Los Hoyos, with very stony soil and gravel that regulates surface temperature, enhancing ripening.

The extreme continental climate, with Atlantic influences, sees rainfall between 350-400 mm, summer highs of 40ºC, and winter lows of -11ºC. Over 2,600 hours of sunshine and low humidity prevent fungal diseases, resulting in high-quality grapes and excellent red wines.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.