Driving through Southern French wine country, you learn to recognise the local cave co-op pretty easily.  Located on the outskirts of the town, with functional concrete design and a run-down demeanour, you see countless variations all over the region. For the small wine-grower in the early 20^th century, it seemed like an ideal way of making wine more efficiently. He was fed up of the small-scale facilities he would have likely had at home and saw the attractiveness of pooled resources, communal production and greater control of production. From 1901 villages all around Southern France and beyond caught the bug.

Today, these monuments to pooled production, quantity, affordability and local terroir are largely on their knees. Caught between being able to compete at the bottom, one euro a bottle market for cheap wine and the higher, quality end of the spectrum their days look numbered. Which is why, as we were driving through the Languedoc to meet cutting-edge, exciting winemakers, we were confused to be turning up at local co-ops. After retracing our steps a few times, we gained entry to these concrete temples and discovered the winemakers we were due to see, making wine, in an almost squatter-like fashion amongst the ruins of the grand old co-ops. One particularly exciting visit was to Loic Roure at Domaine de Possible. He and other like-minded vignerons had clubbed together to rent the local co-op, blast through the walls of the cuvee Betons and make small-production, foot-trod, ‘natural’, stunning wine we hope we can import a bit of next year.  The winery was decorated with Banksy-style grafitti, pictures of Hendrix and a design studio in the roof. An amazing space.

Loic and his friends are all young, talented, super-generous and passionate about what they do, not beating a drum about any manifesto other then making the sort of wine they want to drink.  What I find so inspiring about this kind of thing is the brilliance of French winemaking culture to innovate, change and revitalise itself and in doing so, make the sort of wines that make many producers in the new-world look hopelessly old-fashioned and out-of-step with the sort of wines we find people increasingly want to buy. Drinkable, fresh, complex wines for convivial evenings not the fatigued palates of tasting panels.

The next morning I woke early to a stifling room and a groggy head, not helped by the defunct air conditioning unit and certainly not helped by the whisky sours and the cognacs consumed only hours before in the hotel bar.

Breakfast was a quiet affair with members of our party sporadically entering the dining room yawning, wiping sleep from their eyes –next stop Veuve Cliquot.

There are few brands in the wine world (indeed world) that provoke such yearnings of desire, and hardly any that manage to capture it purely through the use of one colour. The red of Ferrari is one; the yellow of Veuve Cliquot is another– its yellow not orange! Bar the bright yellow flag flapping at full mast, the exterior of the Veuve Cliquot is quite subdued. It is only on entering the reception area that the synonymous artwork presents itself – pink/yellow birds of paradise in birdcages, bright yellow sofas, yellow dangly things and all other strange doohickeys coloured yellow and bizarre. The business offices/makeshift museum provides an insightful background to Veuve Cliquot and its history timeline.

The first recording of Veuve Cliquot was in 1772 when Philippe Cliquot registered the wine business after inheriting a number of vineyards. Following his death in 1798 his son Francois took control of his business but tragically he too passed away prematurely in 1805 leaving the estate to his 27 year old widow (Veuve) Barbe Nicole Cliquot Ponsardin – the rest they say is history. Probably the youngest business woman at the time, the legacy that she created is truly remarkable. Not only did she understand the market and manage the demand for her product she was the pioneer behind the most notable champagne practice – riddling. Determined to improve the appearance of her product, she found that shaking the bottles loosened sediment stuck to their sides. The sediment would eventually settle to the bottom if the bottles were left upright. To get the deposits closer to the neck, she used gravity, cutting holes in her kitchen table to place the bottles upside down. Today machinery is used to recreate the riddling process, so don’t be left thinking that every champagne house is home to thousands of kitchen tables.

After the history lesson it was down into the chalk cellars again. Identical to the cellars of Ruinart it was hard to not feel a sense of déjà vu. The only marked difference between the two being the distance; a staggering 24 kilometres make up the Cliquot cellars. To avoid workers and bewildered visitors getting lost in the chasms a simple but ingenious solution has been employed – a painted yellow line from entrance to exit…a little like the yellow brick road in the Wizard of Oz – though absent of the lion, tin man and scarecrow. However unlike Dorothy the yellow path didn’t lead me to the Emerald City, instead leading me to Veuve Cliquot’s most treasured possession – a bottle of the world’s oldest Verve Cliquot (c.230 years) salvaged from a Baltic wreck in July 2010.

From a late eigthteeth century bottle to a more recent vintage we were soon above ground enjoying some Veuve Cliquot NV Brut, Rose and vintage 2002s. Having not held a flute of champagne in twelve hours the first gulp was a welcome hit. Leaving the tasting room we were soon whisked away to the jewel in Veuve Cliquot’s crown.

Overlooking Veuve Cliquot’s premier cru vineyards at Bouzy is situated the Manoir de Verzy. Built in the second half of the 19^th century and acquired by Veuve Cliquot in 1902, this fine manoir was part of the wedding gift to the daughter of Alfred Werle, the widow Cliquot’s successor and Bertrand de Mun, who was later to head the firm. Throughout the 20^th century the manor was the residence of the heads of Veuve Cliquot vineyards and their families. In 1997, however, a major restoration project converted the manor for its new role and the building and grounds became a site for hosting special guests and a retreat for writers and artists due to its serene and tranquil setting.

Though sunny and hot the day before, today was decidedly cool and breezy, but that did little to deter us from venturing into the garden where we were presented with a glass of NV Veuve and canapés before lunch. Over the wall of the grounds a large plot of chardonnay vines has been assigned a special role, and is dedicated to highly achieving businesswomen. Since 1972, the Veuve Cliquot Business Woman of the Year Award has been presented to remarkable female entrepreneurs throughout the world. It was launched by Alain  de Vogue, Bertrand de Mun’s grandson, and CEO of Veuve Cliquot from the 1972 to 1987, to coincide with the firms bicentenary, which was also celebrated by the production of the first Grande Dame vintage as a tribute to Madame Cliquot. Ever since the manor at Verzy was restored, it is there that the winners are received in June every year. The company devotes a vine within the Verzy vineyard to them, which henceforth bears their name – and every year they each receive a bottle of La Grande Dame for their birthdays.

Heading back inside we were host to a spectacular lunch. Unlike most menus where the wine plays ‘second fiddle’ and the food commands centre stage the reverse was true of this menu. Designed and prepared by a former employee of Alain Duccasse’s the brief of this particular menu was to marry the food to the wine; it worked beautifully and it was the first time I tried a Verve Cliquot’s Demi Sec.

After lunch we had a quick nosey around the rest of the manor and though it was a working winery in years past I was still surprised to see the relics of the past (a traditional basket press, sorting table and fermentation vessels) hidden behind one of doors at the side of the house.

Bidding farewell to the lady of the house, whose job it is to welcome guests from Veuve Cliquot we ascended the steps to the mini bus and headed off – destination home.

Though I am all for boutique wineries and artisan producers such as the domains and vignerons we seek out and support at Roberson, you cannot help but admire the goliath that is Champagne. A multi billion pound industry today, you would have reason to believe that over the years the money generated would have made the Grand Marques complacent. In reality nothing could be further than the truth. Through my visit to Ruinart and Veuve Cliquot it is very much evident that their quest for perfection is continuous and draws upon years of experience and history. Regardless of the correlation between the sustained investment in marketing generated from sales and the growth in demand what is undeniable is that over the years the quality has never been compromised – It’s never tasted better!

For many, waking up early on a Monday morning to face the daily grind of the commute into work is certainly not greeted with glee. However when that commute is a visit to one of the most important and revered wine regions in the world it does ease the pain somewhat.

Having been informed by my manager Joe many weeks prior that I had been selected to go; for me the day couldn’t come have come quicker – I was as excited as a schoolboy in a candy shop, or should that be a vinophile in Robersons? So when the day finally arrived I was filled with joy and anticipation.

Arriving at St Pancras at dawn I couldn’t help feeling that I had taken the wrong tube and stepped off at the departures terminal at Heathrow. Having never travelled Eurostar I wasn’t expecting all of the formalities usually associated with foreign travel.

During the journey it was a chance to become acquainted with the other lucky soles chosen by Moet Hennessy to share the experience with me. Their selection, like mine at Robersons was based on their company’s successful promotion and sale of the Moet Hennesy product range over the past year. A feat that I cannot help but think is made all the more easy by the strength of the Moet Hennesy brands – a tour de force upon itself when it comes to Champagne.

It wasn’t long before we arrived in Lille and transferring our suitcases to a private mini bus to make the arduous and lengthy journey to Reims a mere 150 miles away – apparently a quicker route than changing trains at Paris. It wasn’t long into the journey when I heard the sigh of a cork being popped and the glug of champagne being poured. Arrr the lavish grandeur of working in the wine trade you are probably thinking to yourself. Alas no. The grandeur was soon spoilt as the Costa Coffee styroform cups stolen earlier at St Pancreas were used as the drinking vessel for the continuous pours of Moet Brut Imperial and Moet Brut Rose.

As the miles dwindled away and the light headiness of early morning alcohol rescinded the Reims skyline grew ever closer. We checked into the Hotel de la Paix at midday and after disposing of our suitcases we were soon seated at the terrace restaurant enjoying a very satisfying lunch of onion soup starter, followed by lobster for main. To clench our thirst we opted for an obvious choice of Ruinart NV from magnum and a Chinon from a lesser known producer.

After lunch and nursing a second headache we finally headed out; destination the Lighthouse of Verzenay (I didn’t realise Champagne was on the coast?) and the Vine Museum. Receiving 170,000 people since opening, the museum was erringly quiet on our arrival. However unlike most visitors we were fortunate enough to be guided around by a very charming and insightful Ruinart representative – whose name unfortunately escapes me. The museum itself is very educational and unlike most museums it manages to successfully incorporate the history of Champagne through an interesting series of film, word and dioramas.

Feeling a little nauseous after all the wine and rich food and not being a great fan of heights I was a little reluctant to climb the 101 steps of the lighthouse. However not wanting to stand out like a bottle of Cava in an all Champagne line up I embarked the ascent. The panoramic view from the top was well worth the climb and to see the vines looking resplendent in the spring sunshine, equally so. Thankfully a glass of Ruinart Blanc de Blanc greeted me at the bottom of the stairwell, and though the dichotomy of drinking champagne to steady my nerves and control my nausea confused me, I was not one to turn down another flute of champers.

Heading to the house of Ruinart it was interesting to see all the other famous Champagne houses pass me by; Charles Heidsick, Taitinger, Pommery etc – if only I had a few more days to visit each one.

First established in 1729, twenty years after the death of Dom Ruinart, Nicholas Ruinart (Dom Ruinart’s nephew) founded the first ever champagne house – Maison Ruinart. Today steeped in history it’s a Champagne recognised and appreciated throughout the world for its elegance and finesse.

From the reception area we were escorted to ‘The Crayeres’ (Ruinarts’ chalk cellars). It is in these ex Gallo-Roman chalk quarries where the wine slowly matures in bottle. At a depth of 38 metres and over 8 kilometres of galleries it is a true sight to behold – no wonder it was classified as a historical monument in 1931. These crayères offer the triple benefit of a constantly stable temperature, the complete absence of vibration and a perfect humidity level, providing ideal conditions for the fermentation and maturation of the Ruinart wines.

Surfacing above ground like a mole from a molehill we were invited to one of the reception suites where we were introduced to Frederic Panaiotis, Ruinart’s Cellar Master. A very stylish and educated man, with a calm yet imposing presence he talked us through the wines like a father would of his children. In order of tasting, ‘R’de ruinart, Ruinart Blanc de Blanc, Dom Ruinart 1998, Ruinart Rose and Dom Ruinart Rose 1996.

Bidding farewell to the Ruinart maison we drove back to the hotel where we had chance to collect our thoughts, get dressed, sober up, before heading back out again, however not before a sneaky glass of Ruinart ‘R’ at the bar which again managed to negate the aforementioned act. Our dinner was at a newly opened restaurant in the centre of Reims. Unfortunately the name of the establishment evades me, a real shame as the food was excellent.

Want to know what happened next? Marc’s adventures continue in Part II: Veuve Clicquot…

Last night, we were thrilled to have long-time friend of Roberson, Neal Martin, guest-hosting a tasting looking at the wines of Pomerol. From the early days of wine-journal.com through his superb work on the Wine Advocate to his forthcoming book on the wines of the region, we have long been fans of his work and it seemed like a perfect time to look at the wines from this little ‘pearl’ of Bordeaux.

After a slightly rambling and incoherant intro, I passed over to Neal, who started to outline a little bit about the history of the region, from its religious heritage to its relatively recent rise to fame. It is interesting to note that given the fame of its wines, there have only been three books published on the subject. And one of them is apparently written so badly as to be barely comprehensible. It seems like his forthcoming book is set to become the reference guide for many years ahead and we certainly look forward to it.

In hommage to Neal and the spirit of the Advocate, points are out of 100

The Wines:

1999 Trotanoy.

A nice, soft entry into the tasting, the 1999 Trotanoy very much encapsulated the pretty style of the vintage. Nice, medium bodied flavour, quite correct, with clearly excellent breeding. I think I would have preferred a bit more stuffing, but thats 1999 for you. 91 Points

1990 Clinet

Toasty, roasted coffee notes on the nose and a big, meaty palate, showed the heat of the 1990 vintage. However this tendancy for exoticism was held nicely in check by the acid and well-woven tannins. Quite a opulent style, just lacking for me a bit of elegance and overall balance but very impressive. 95 Points

1988 La Grave a Pomerol

I’ve had this before and enjoyed it a lot more. I found this bottle quite austere and stingy. Some notes of garrigue and coffee again, but almost a little green and lacking any sense of joy and exuberance. Still, it is worth pointing out, this tends to be a very well-priced Pomerol. 88 Points

1978 L’Eglise Clinet

Slightly disjointed this, some very nice elements here and udoubtedly possesing better overall complexity then the preceeding wine. A note of beetroot was a little off-putting, but I found the experience quite interesting. 90 Points

1998 Conseillante

Moving on to a much more serious wine and vintage, 1998 Conseillante was very impressive. Pure, focussed and holding quite a bit back. Others were more keen on this then me, as for me it was not as showy as some wines of the evening. Blackcurrant and elegant oak were beautifully poised. 95 Points

1996 Vieux Chateau Certan

After tasting this wine, Neal recounted that tasting old VCC was one of his greatest single moments in his tasting career. I loved this wine, very exuberant, open, drinking beautifully well. Not holding as much as the Conseillante perhaps and one might argue that the finish was a little abrupt, but I didn’t care, I thought this was a great effort in a inferior vintage to 1998. Great value as well. 93 Points

1995 Gazin

Very oaky. I thought to the point where it was obscuring some of the character of the wine. Glossy and well made but not really my style. 91 Points

1995 L’Evangile

Cut in a similar mould to the Gazin albeit with more complexity and interest. Also holding quite a bit back I think. 93 Points

1995 Lafleur

This was incredible. Just completely different character to the other wines of the flight. Neal mentioned that this bottle was not showing as well as one he had a couple of weeks before. Amazing. Just managing to maintain that balance of depth of flavour with a beautiful sense of lightness and poise. Will age for many years. 97 Points

1952 Petrus

We didn’t quite get to the bottom of the origin of this bottle, Neal thought it looked like a Chateau bottling, certainly it was in good condition when it reached us, levels at very high shoulder. Slight bottle variation between the two, more of a character difference then a overall quality difference though.

Still holding together well with good fruit and depth of finish. 1952 was a very good vintage on the Right Bank and Michael Broadbent gave the wine 5 stars. A bit disjointed but an incredible experience nonetheless.

88 Points

So, that was what I thought, what about the group. In time honoured tradition, I cast the vote for firstly, the wine the group would buy with their own money. The winner, 1998 Conseillante, narrowly beating my favourite, 1996 Vieux Chateau Certan.

Money no object, the group plumped for 1995 Lafleur, what can I say, they have good taste!

Many thanks to Neal for making this event a great success and sharing some absolutely fascinating insights with the group. Can’t wait for the book.

With those seven words horror passed through the car as we realized the long drive to Burgundy was going to get even longer. Still, the way I figured it, everyone is allowed to forget their passport once in their life, if you do it for a second time, you’re an idiot. I have forgotten it once, and pray I have learned my lesson.

Sure enough, by the time we settled down in our room in Beaune at midnight we were pretty beat but also excited about the packed itinerary we had for the next week, seeing some of the most exciting producers in the Rhone Valley and Burgundy in a week long sourcing trip

Monday morning. Washed and groomed, I poked my head out of the hotel window to a crisp Burgundy morning with a wonderful blue sky. As coffee (and a cup of tea that Mark was so disgusted by he didn’t even touch it) further eased us (well, me anyway) into the day, we set off on the short drive to Puligny Montrachet to a visit with Olivier Leflaive, one of the biggest personalities in the village.

With lots of changes in the UK market this year, our ‘intentions’ were immediatletly questioned by Olivier before heading to a tasting with Franck Grux  the winemaker.

Grux sharpened his teeth working for Guy Roulot in Meursault before joining Olivier in 1988. He went on to describe some of the hallmarks of the 2008 vintage. Low yields, uneven ripening but good balance and ripeness. We tasted through the Bourgogne Rouge, the village, premier and grand cru’s and found some impeccable wines with purity and freshness, for me perhaps almost too correct and lacking a bit of personality. Saying that, the power of some of the top wines made me think that these should last very well and the visit really reinforced the reliability of Oliver as a top source of beautiful, straight-down-the-line, quality Burgundy.

Making our excuses to leave the lovely meal at his restaurant we had been invited to we headed to Chavy-Chouet in Meursault.

What a contrast. From the polished oak boardroom and modern winery of Olivier Leflaive, we turned up to what looked like a slightly down-at-heel village farm, complete with dogs and assorted farming equipment. I wandered around, trying to find someone to talk to. Only managing a low level conversation with a wheezing English Bulldog (with most of the conversation coming from me) we couldn’t work out what was going on. Where was everyone? The doors were all open but no-one seemed to be in. After a couple of phone-calls, the young Romaric Chavy turned up. Dressed in a shell-suit, his hands were dirty from coming straight from the vineyards. No urbane ambassador here, just a hard-working man doing what turned out to be amazing things with his vineyards. The history of Domaine Chavy-Chouet is a mixed one. A large proportion of the wine was sold in the past to local negociants and it was only with Romaric that complete Domaine bottling came, a few years ago.

Romaric is a young guy, but one with broad horizons. After working at Radford Dale in South Africa he joined the Viticultural Institute in Beaune and got to work early in his father’s Domaine. Clearly there is still significant work to be done here, yet the buzz we heard in the UK was fully justified in the wines. Romaric is blessed with some great vineyards and he does them justice. The style is not one for long ageing, rather it is one of minerality, pure fruit, and, above all, great balance. What’s more, these wines are all remarkably fair priced. This is a domaine that we left in a state of some excitement about. It just felt right.

Speaking of feeling right, it was about now that my famous aversion to rich French food was kicking in, and I made my first stop to the chemist to get some milk of magnesia. I didn’t feel right.

Stomach fortified, we enjoyed a rather lovely lunch in Meursault and a moment of Ministry of Defense style madness, where I left the highly sensitive Roberson ‘Dossier’ of appointments in the restaurant.

Dossier recovered, we GPS’d our way to Santenay to an appointment with Lucien Muzard in Santenay, a producer who looks set to be considered the finest producer in the village.

Claude resembles Mel Gibson, with something of a strapping physicality, while bespectacled Hervé has an erudite air. They complement each other well, and they consider themselves a part of a distinguished tradition of wine-making that has existed in this proud village for centuries (the Muzard family traces its lineage in Santenay back to 1645). Their wines emphasize fruit and terroir, with new oak playing no more than a supporting role. Typical for Santenay, roughly 95% of Claude and Hervé’s production is in red wine

Now Santenay, I must confess, always feel leaves me a little cold. I know that it’s easy to call a wine ‘rustic’ and to ignore its charms, because, lets face it, not every village has the exposure of Vosne or Chambolle, but it’s just not one of my favourites. Saying that, the wines we tried were great, and the whole operation exuded class on every level. The premier crus were wines of real excellence and really transcended the appellation.

From Muzard, we went on to Domaine Bouzereau-Gruere, now run by Marie-Anne and Marie-Laure, Hubert’s two daughters. Having trained wit Jacques Carrillon, one of Puligny’s greatest growers, Marie-Anne is more than qualified to make top white Burgundy, while her sister, Marie-Laure, has taken the commercial reins. Going down to the cellars, we tasted through the whole range of 2008’s. We liked the wines, they had good definition, good fruit. Perhaps a little nondescript for me, if I’m being harsh. But built so well, with great acidity and length. It’s difficult, because commercialism comes into the equation, but we felt that these wines would be difficult to work with.

After tasting what must have been around 40 wines, we had a quick bite at La Vieux Vigneron in Rue Magdelaine, where Mark had snails, and I had pig’s trotter, which unsurprisingly was a bad move as it didn’t agree with me and my haughty stomach at all.

A couple of Heinekens later, we were ready to turn in, as we had another packed day of tastings tomorrow and another early start.

Day two to follow….

Here shop manager and tall cameraman Joe talks through the wines, good and bad with Jancis Robinson MW.

Getting out to a surprisingly sunny Provence day, we set off on the hour drive to Clos Mireille, one of the three estates owned by the Ott Family. After the usual confusion of trying to find someone who knew something about our arrival, we were met by the charming Christopher Renard, ‘the silver fox’ who wasted no time in pouring a glass of Château de Selle to go with some delicious crudités. Whilst getting re-introduced to this great wine, we had a chance to look at the marvellous accommodation at the property. Recently redesigned, it had the look of an interior straight from the pages of a magazine. The floors were concrete, the walls were concrete, it had the look of a car park, albeit with amazing lighting and antiques, very striking. I don’t think it suited the tastes of our escort Charles King, the MD of Maison Marques et Domaine, the UK importer. Over the day we tried their Domaniers wines, entry-level cuvees which were deliciously fresh and very much in the Domaine style. After lunch we were taken to the beach where we frolicked around like small children on a day trip. Worryingly, there was a TV camera there as some film producers were making a documentary about the estate, Baywatch it was not. Following this embarrassing spectacle, and my clever ‘how far can you throw a rock into the sea’ competition, we showered and dressed for dinner.

With the Clos Mireille, we enjoyed a fantastic Cerviche of Salmon, something I always seem to get whenever I go to France. It went superbly well with the Clos Mireille Blanc de Blancs, a blend of Semillon and Ugni Blanc. Interestingly, this was the wine that forged the reputation of Domaine Ott, and it’s only with time that it has switched over to the Rose. The wine has a certain saline character, that allied with the lemon freshness of the Semillon went superbly with the fish. For the main course, we had some very tender roast lamb, served with the Bandol Rouge from Château Romassin, a cherry infused, spicy and juicy red, which I have to say, I like, but not nearly as much as the other wines of the estate, not that that stopped me from polishing off my glass with gusto. After dinner the more hardy palates tackled some rare Ott Marc de Provence, which was lovely, but attacked us with a vengeance the morning after.

Next day, after picking some grapes for the 2009 vintage  we headed to Château de Selle, where we saw the winemaking team in action in the middle of harvest and tasted the rest of the range, including a 1998 Domaine Ott Rose, which must be a bit of a rarity. I found it tasty but with quite an oxidative character creeping in to the point where I would advise early drinking on all of these wines. Still, at least we didn’t try the oldest wine in their reserves, a 1932 Clos Mireille Blanc, which looked a horrific colour.

After flying back and getting back home, despite the best efforts of our taxi driver, I restored culinary equilibrium with a bland baked potato. Can’t be having too much luxury!

They even brought with them a reserve wine from the 2004 vintage, their Pinot Noir from Verzenay. This is one of the 200 that make up the blend of what you see on the shelf, and was certainly interesting in this state. See this being mulled over and explained by the experts themselves below.

Winemaker Xavier Ausas took charge of proceedings, which consisted of a tasting of Pintia ‘06, Alion ‘04 and ‘05 before the main business of the evening, four vintages of Valbuena (’04, ‘02, ‘97, ‘83), four of Unico (’99, ‘80, ‘74, ‘69), a lot (if that’s the right word for this non-vintage blend) of Unico Reserva Especial and a 1976 Oremus Tokaji just to finish things off.

Mark will no doubt be writing an extenisve report on each of the wines, but personally I thought the ‘74 Unico was the most outstanding – a really fascinating wine at its peak now and with an indescribable character that was sheer perfection.

The Full Line-Up

Xavier Ausas

The Tasting

Thanks everyone for coming to this brilliant event, and especially thanks to Xavier for presenting the wines. There’s one more tasting left in this session, The French Walkabout, which should be a really enjoyable evening so don’t miss it. The next schedule is being finalised as we speak and will be posted in the tastings section of the site in the next couple of weeks – check back often.

See the Vega Sicilia tasting page for more information on the tasting and to download the brochure from the night. For more on the wines, see the complete list of everything we have in stock from Vega Sicilia.