Nothing seemed more tranquil than driving through the Rioja wine region in north-central Spain, passing lovely bodegas (wineries) and vineyard after vineyard of low-lying old bush vines with their thick trunks and gnarly arms having only a handful of Tempranillo grape bunches hanging. But it was the rocky mountains of the Sierra de Cantabria in the background that gave the place a majestic feeling and this particular trip slowly brought this breathtaking earthly phenomenon closer and closer as the temperature seemed to drop, and so, the eager passengers had to bring their car windows up as the chill in the air made them slightly shiver. After a time, there seemed to be no more bodegas, which once populated the roadside, and only some of the oldest vineyards they had seen so far seemed to be the only living things in existence. Then, like out of a dream, the Sierra de Cantabria Mountains were upon them with the immensity of their enormous size, making everyone feel like ants as they approached one of the most impressive structures they had seen, which seemed to be harmoniously interwoven into the awe-inspiring landscape.

The Macán Winery's architecturally impressive buildings lay before their eyes, with the glorious mountains right behind them as if stating their importance, which cost around $34 million, including the several plots of old vines that were slowly accumulated by buying several tiny plots over many years.

Wine Cathedral

Brilliant Spanish architect, Enrique Johanson de Terry, designed the Macán Winery in Rioja, Spain, owned by Bodegas Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia SA – representing two of the most famous wine families in the world.


It has become one of Enrique's great masterpieces as it is an artistic representation of the three main activities within a winery: "elaboration, aging and expedition," which inspired him to have one building represent water (symbolic of elaboration), one represent earth (symbolic of aging) and the third representing the sun (symbolic of expedition). The Water Building has 45 vats of 10,000 liters of oak and stainless steel with the lowest level of the building used for barrel aging the wine; the Earth Building is ideally built to allow cellaring of the wine once it is bottled; the Sun Building is where the main offices are, and so sunlight streams into the space keeping an uplifting environment for employees and guests.

Wood joints throughout the building are painted with Bordeaux wine bringing some of the Rothschild's “DNA” into the winery. Also, two large matte gray zinc roofs on the Water and Sun Buildings are shaped like a wave, allowing natural ventilation as the local fierce winds blow across the wave-shaped roofs, creating an ideal visual that integrates into the Sierra de Cantabria Mountains seamlessly.

The Soul Of Rioja

Pablo Álvarez, family owner and the second visionary of the legendary Vega Sicilia winery in Ribera del Duero, is one half of the partnership of Bodegas Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia SA, whose mission has been to bring back the soul of Rioja. It is quite interesting to think that one of the greatest wine producers in the world, Vega Sicilia, the North Star of the Ribera del Duero wine region, would place such a significant amount of money and time into Rioja, since Rioja is historically Ribera del Duero's fiercest competitor on the international wine market. But Pablo admits he has a great love for Rioja wine, but not just any; he loves those Viña Real wines from the 1950s and 1960s, long-lived wines with lots of acidity and elegance balanced by a pure fruit expression that goes against the bigger, over-oaked international styles.

He found the ideal piece of heaven in Rioja's smallest sub-region, Rioja Alavesa, which has high-altitude vineyards like one would find in the bigger Rioja Alta sub-region. But its soils have more limestone, and the wines can show higher acidity and more distinctive minerality. Before the Macán Winery was operational in 2016, Pablo bought tiny plots of old vines in the area starting in the early 2000s. Most of the vines are around 50 years old, with some much older; one of the oldest was planted in 1920.

No one knows more than Pablo that it takes lots of time and a tremendous amount of work to reach perfection, as many would already call the Vega Sicilia wines perfection in a bottle. However, Pablo is still not satisfied, and so, through time, the Macán wines have been getting closer and closer to recapturing the soul of this region that he has loved so much in those '50s and '60s Viña Real beauties, and one day, he looks forward to when these wines are spoken about in the same way as his beloved Vega Sicilia wines.

Friendship & Wine

There is something that is very strikingly different about this winery than the others within the Tempos Vega Sicilia group, and that is the sign right in front of the winery letting the world know that this is where the Macán Winery, property of Bodegas Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia SA, lies. Although Benjamin de Rothschild owned a couple of fabulous Bordeaux châteaux that produced lovely wines and he was a well-known passionate figure in the region itself, he never received the acclaim that his other family members have as they ran Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild. So, his name needed to be out there for the world to see that other Rothschilds are shaping the world of wine. Tragically, he passed away in 2021 at the age of 57.

If there is one thing that Pablo loves just as much as wine, it is the relationships with special people like Benjamin, who could share his dream and take the leap with him. With this project, not only will Pablo's relentless mission for perfection make Macán one of the greats, but his devotion to Benjamin will ensure his good friend finally gets the worldwide recognition he greatly deserves.


2020 Macán Clásico, Rioja, Spain: 100% Tempranillo. Pablo Álvarez and Benjamin de Rothschild decided to create a first and second wine just like the great Grand Cru Classé wines in Bordeaux. This 'Clásico' is the second wine of Macán; this vintage showcases the epitome of elegance with a bouquet of raspberries on the nose that is brightened by orange zest that has background notes of oyster shell and forest floor with supple tannins that finishes with incredible precision and vibrancy that makes one's mouth vibrant in anticipation for the next glass.

2019 Macán, Rioja, Spain: 100% Tempranillo. The first wine of Macán; 2019 is a rich, concentrated vintage that shows itself with cassis fruit and blackberry compote flavors yet there is still a pure vibrancy to this wine that has layers of fresh red cherry and minerality that give it an overall finesse and freshness with complex notes of Mediterranean scrub and leather creating an intriguing multifaceted depth of flavor across the very long finish that is aromatically expressive.