Winemaker Notes
Macán, the flagship wine of Bodegas Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia, epitomizes the pinnacle of Rioja's winemaking tradition. Crafted exclusively from select Tempranillo grapes sourced from venerable vines averaging 37 years old, this wine is celebrated for its elegance, complexity, and power. The vineyards, spanning 100 hectares across prime terrains, yield a wine that is both a testament to meticulous cultivation and a reflection of the unique terroir. With an alcohol content of 14.5%, Macán matures gracefully, promising an optimal drinking experience up to 15 years post-vintage when stored under ideal conditions. It is a wine that not only captures the essence of its region but also the dedication to excellence shared by its creators.
Blend: 99% Tempranillo, 1% Graciano
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A depth of fresh dark berries and black plums is adorned with complex graphite, balsam, fine spices and cocoa powder with hints of bay leaves and minerals. Tannins are tense, nervy and chalky. Long and tightly wound but well-dissolved. One of the best examples of Macan. An exciting vintage. Drink from 2026 and beyond.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Macán is from a year that had above-average rainfall and some hail in June that lowered yields but good weather during harvest. It has 1% Graciano. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol, with a pH of 3.8 and five grams of acidity. This year, they used 100% indigenous yeasts, and the élevage was in new barrels (50%) and 4,000-liter oak foudres and lasted 12 months, followed by another six months in 20,000-liter oak vats. This is serious, harmonious and subtle, more elegant than any vintage before, reflecting the freshness from the year. It's nicely built, very proportioned, with balance, freshness and abundant but fine-grained tannins. It's one of the finest if not the finest vintages to date. A total of 112,755 bottles, 3,354 magnums and some larger formats were produced. It was bottled in August 2023.
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Wine Spectator
A graceful red that expands on the palate, revealing lush layers of pureed mulberry, cherry and raspberry fruit, with violet, anise, thyme and sweet paprika accents, plus an underpinning of iron and graphite. Sculpted tannins are fine-grained and limber, providing supple definition for this long, refreshing red.
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.