Vega Sicilia, Unico, Ribera del Duero

A legendary vintage. Deep garnet, nearly opaque. Evolved aromas of leather and forest floor with surprising. On the palate, no tannins, truffle, and spice. Remarkably alive for its age—balanced acidity carries the long, haunting finish.

1939 vintage

Deep and refined with aromas of blackberry, and plum. Layered with cedar, tobacco, leather and a hint of spice. Long complex finish

2011 vintage

Nowhere close to the 2010 drank right before it. Maybe this is a vintage that, unlike the 2010, will benefit from a lot more time in cellar. This was a thinner wine and just good, not great, at this point in time.

2011 vintage

Excellent! Had it 2 days after the 2015, which we rated 100! This was also a winner -- had a touch more oak and was not as intense, but great body and complexity.

2011 vintage

PNP, beautiful nose immediately. Morello cherry, tobacco leaf and a touch of cedar. Wonderful acidity, really got the glands popping. Leveled off after 30 minutes and stayed in the zone for another 90. Many years ahead, although not sure how much better it will get. Not as expressive as the ‘96, ‘04 or ‘06, but still in a very good spot.

1999 vintage

Obvious infanticide, but very enjoyable nonetheless. Very deep dark cassis and blueberry fruit on the nose, lovely toasty oak. Massive on the palate, but fresh, just perfect balance. Loads of inner perfume and complexity even at this young age. Very exciting wine.

2011 vintage

Glanzend robijnrood - Neus van koffie, pruimen en tabak- Evenwichtige zijdezachte tannine, chocolade en wat kruiden - Aanvaarbare afdronk -Prijs/kwaliteit ..... meer van verwacht

2011 vintage

Aerating in bottle. Drink slowly, in 14 hours. #026734 Medium ruby to medium garnet. Blackberry, blueberry, prune, butter, coconut, vanilla, coffee, dill, herbs, new-cut wood, black pepper, tobacco leaf, and hint of flowers. Medium body, medium acidity, and silky tannin. Elegant, balanced, and smooth, like a humble gentleman. Finish is medium to long, with mainly fruits and herbs.

2011 vintage

Violet with a hint of ruby around the rim. A beautifully balanced wine. Dark fruit with pepper, tobacco, leather and a hint of vanilla. Silky smooth, velvety tannins but still muscular. The finish is forever.

2011 vintage

Plums, dark fruit Cedar Dry grippy tiny tannins that stick to every part of your palette Smooth and soft throughout. Decanted for about 30 minutes before the first taste Very long finish, clean and continuous sensation while the experience stays the same

2011 vintage

Sadly likely my final bottle of this. Another strong showing. Such concentration on the nose and palate; oak, dried strawberries, dark cherry some plum, a bit of tobacco leaf etc. Pretty consistent with previous 96pt notes. Still vibrant and fresh. Long finish. Always a winner.

1999 vintage

Nice dense texture with good structure. This was ready to go right from the start. With time open it actually started to slide downhill with the ripeness turning toward the pruned side. Plums, prunes, aged leather, dark chocolate and damp earth.

2011 vintage

I waited quite a few years to finally open my last bottle of this Unico. Served after a 12H decant. I was hoping for quite an experience, unfortunately it didn't blow me away. It was elegant but lacked intensity of flavours and aromas. Decent wine really but nowhere near what its price tag would suggest. On its plateau I reckon.

1999 vintage

Utterly delicious. Ripe and full, yet beautifully balanced.

2011 vintage

Hail the dark master, taking centerstage in a company of aging bordeaux and very famous DRC-burgundy. Intense, manly, smiokey (very smookey, chocolate and tar here; too young, but very enjiyable - if you can handle the style. #Møntergade#Ib

2011 vintage

Opened for 4 hours. Color is deep garnet/purple. On the nose: Plum, dark chocolate, cassis, baking spices and a bit of orange zest. On the palate: Plum, cassis, dark chocolate, bit of spice/ cinnamon and espresso. Long finish and very sensuous mouthfeel. The wine is great but it is very young. I think needs 5+ years. These wines are alway just wonderful.

2011 vintage

Beautiful nose of blackberry pie, some honey, sweet pastry, sweet oak, dark cherries, red fruit and some mocha. Drinking well but after 2 to 2.5 really bloomed and opened up. Dark fruit and dried berries, lovely oak, dried rose, coconut and vanilla on long finish. Another fantastic showing.

1999 vintage

small sample from a bottle that had been open for about 4 hours (not decanted) deep purple red color, intense dark nose, black fruits, cocoa, a hint of polish, camphor and black thorny bramble, similarly dark and cool on the palate, ponderous, like Soldera's Brunello- there is great volume and much complexity but in this young stage it all rests below the surface of a dark wide tranquil pond, seamless, pristine, tannins well buried under the primary fruit mass, note …

2011 vintage

Potpourri, dark cherry, fig, plum, cedar, oak and tobacco leaf on nose and palate. Initial acidity really softened up to show a lovely, deep and rounded wine with many layers of complexity. Initially showing a touch of soy sauce but that dissipated and was replaced by a pleasing umami note and more dark fruit. Took two hours in the decanter to finally bloom and lose some of the astringency initially showing (I almost thought this was heat damaged initially!) but …

1999 vintage

Vega Sicilia Unico Vertical : 10x Vega Sicilia Unico (1985-2006). 7 vintages of Gran Reserva, 3x Reserva Especial. A few conclusions: A) The quality was high in all bottles. Increased complexity and precision, a fine structural framework with silky tannins, pronounced acidity and very good balance. B) The family resemblance across all bottles is high. Unico has a strong and unique DNA with the freshness and tension of a good Bordeaux combined with the softness and silkiness of Tempranillo and …

1999 vintage

Nose of plum, soy sauce and sweet oak. Dark cherry, plum, oak. Decent concentration but slightly tart acidity. Felt almost past its peak. While not bad, this didn't show the excellence, depth and profound complexity of other examples tasted - sadly! NB this was from the same case as bottles which were very high scoring - up to 99pts (see my other reviews). Interesting to note the bottle variation and/or how my palate tastes things on different occasions over a …

1999 vintage

This wine has put on weight compared to 9 years ago. Absolutely gorgeous right now. Tasted almost like a Bordeaux! Balanced and long. Touch of iodine note went amazing with the seafood Paella.

1999 vintage

Decanted for 2 hours. A very good Unico. Although the wine is still very young, it is already great to drink. He will certainly be even better with 10 more years in the cellar. 94 pts. at the moment.

2011 vintage

Had this exceptional wine as part of a Vega Sicilia Lunch in Hong Kong. Beautiful nose, complex elegant bouquet of dark fruit, tobacco, leather, and oak. The palate was full-bodied, rich, and perfect balance of tannins, acidity, chocolate, licorice, and dark fruit flavor. Beautiful silky mouthfeel that is long and pleasant. Excellent structure, full-bodied, and felt so complex and elegant. Powerful stuff. A delight to drink and the pick of the bunch today! (Unico 2011, V5 2017, Macan Clasico 2018, …

2011 vintage

Served with braised lamb shank. Almost ready now. Vega always delivers even at a comparatively young age as this. At 24 years of age it has mellowed a bit and shed the black and blue fruit. Ink and cedar on the nose. Very elegant palate and just a joy to gulp down :-)

1999 vintage

Slow ox 9 hours. Captivating complexity of dried flowers, fig, prune, loads of sweet spices, cedar, tobacco, leather, earth.So fresh yet ripe. Deep savoury minerality too. Medium to full body at 14% abv with precision. Really classy and old school. The final glass was the best.

1999 vintage

From the glass, before decanting One of the prior comments said it well. Rich without being heavy Rich dark fruits, black current, black cherry Decanted for 10 minutes and aerated Oak starts to come out Clearly need to be patient and let the wine open as it will reveal more After an hour Fruits really started to shine as the flavors became more district Tannins are really soft and super fine Much enjoyed this wine for the first time Clear …

2011 vintage

This wine gonna need some more time in the bottle. Its closed for business. For now Im neutral with this edition but have the potential to be stellar.

2011 vintage

Antica Terra Collective Tasting (Brick Hall, Dayton, OR) : Coravin pour: My dry WOTN (ok, WOTM, it was an 11am tasting...). Layer after layer of black and red fruit, leather and spice, tar and oak. Wow! Rich without being heavy, tannic but not punching you in the jaw. Now-2036!

2011 vintage

Well balanced. With Grant and Alma at Klaw.

2011 vintage

Hello it is me again with another review of the '99 Unico. Pleased to report that this was another incredible showing of this sensational wine; indeed it was the wine of the evening for two thirds of the table, beating both Latour and Dujac. Massive nose: oak, cedar, strawberry, candied fruit, prune, liquorice, soy sauce. Slight funk on nose initially but none on palate. Palate dark red and ripe fruits balanced by a lovely, deep cedar, spice, liquorice tertiary flavours. …

1999 vintage

Fourth time trying this within the last year and definitely some bottle variation evident. Decanting for an hour to 90 minutes seems to be the sweet spot and even then still youthful. Plenty of prune, candied fruits and silky tannin. Some earthy notes but some way I suspect from further age complexity.

1999 vintage

Puta que o pariu

2011 vintage

3 hour decant on Seabourn but purchased in Barcelona A big full mouth of wine. Resolved tannin, but a slight funk on nose on this bottle. Won’t open one of these at home for 10 more years. Way too young.

2011 vintage

Even 11 years old, decanted to open to open it. Delicious, worth the experience of a wine I only knew by reputation. Best description? A poem!

2011 vintage

Spice speaks, still rough in the edges, good acidty, a clean, ripe fruit. Will improve. #El Cellar de Can Rocca #JubileTasting

1999 vintage

Much more open than the 2013, this is dry, vertical, smokey, juicy and complex. Great stuff. #El Cellar de Can Rocca #JubileTasting

2011 vintage

Fourth bottle of this and a very strong showing. Decanted 90 minutes on a wide based decanter. Concentrated and with excellent structure. Brilliant oaky, red fruit and sweet spice nose. On palate, toasted red fruits developing into darker ripe fruit with air. Invokes toast and butter with jam. Wonderful, complex array of tertiary notes showing a prominent sweet cedar, tobacco and liquorish along with oak. Really excellent long finish showing the complexity and different layers - loved the sweeter spices …

1999 vintage

Delicious, and a joy to drink. Incredible balance, resolved tannins, ripe, and a pleasure to drink. Paired with fois grois, steak, and mashed potatoes. While extremely enjoyable, we got the sense that this wine was so ripe in terms of timing that we wonder whether it will improve. Drink now. W-mom, dad, and Heekyung at mom's-4th of July.

1999 vintage

Third bottle trying this. Not quite the heights of the second (one of the best wines I've ever had the pleasure of drinking) but way better than the first. Overall this really needs air and time to open up - at least 90 to 120 minutes in a decanter. But when it starts to bloom it is so special! Dark fruit nose with some wood and spice. On the palate lots of dark fruits (blackberry, dark cherry etc) - imagine …

1999 vintage

The second bottle I've had of this and absolutely leagues above the first. Aired in bottle for 90 mins then opened in glass too. Blew everybody away. Brick colour. Nose very powerful. Almost like sniffing a blackberry pie; black and red fruits, some cinnamon and smokey wood notes. Incredible structure, perfectly balancing black and red fruits with mature and oak derived tertiary notes. Tremendous freshness with a very long, complex finish displaying many layers and a wonderful end from the …

1999 vintage

Deep red with orange/garnet fading on rim. Licorice and wood nose, prune and almost a honey note to nose. Powerful, complex palate. Quite a dominant prune and fig. Red fruit such as sour cherry and prune, black current with spicy woody notes. Decanted for 2hrs and could probably do a bit more (or more time in cellar) to open up further, but very distinctive and high quality wine from Ribera del Duero. EDIT: this simply wasn't up to the standard …

1999 vintage

Opened to evaluate its maturity. Too soon!! Dark red , well balanced wine, good acidity, nose of raisons/figs/oak, great subtle sweetness, flavours of plums, red currant, slight flavour of tart cherry . The 2009 is more approachable but also is too young. Will wait 5 yrs to open the next bottle of 2011. Least approachable Vega Unico I have owned. Major oak

2011 vintage

Wine Spectator 40th Anniversary; 10/21/2021-10/23/2021 (Marriott Marquis) : Even though they hold these back they're still just very big wines. Very young. Dried herbal notes. Will be great with many years.

2011 vintage

Slight garnet at the edge with a deep red core. The nose has some lovely red fruit, raisin, tobacco along with green herbaceous notes. Floral and pretty. On the palate, it’s medium to full body, moderate acid and lightly grippy tannin. The finish is long and pronounced. It’s great but needs some time to open up. Definitely on the young side. Hold for another 3-5 years. With a couple hours air, it’s opened up a bit but still not fully …

1999 vintage

I opened one recently. Appeared corked at opening. At the market value I refused to write it off. 3 hour decant. Like one of our other members I poured it into a large surface glass and it continued to open to such a level well above the 3 hour decant process. What an elegant drinking experience. I have sadly one only left. To drink, or not to enjoy. THAT is the ?

1999 vintage

SLDS Single Bottle Dinner : Blackcurrant, plum, cedar, spice, autumn leaves and bacon on the nose. Palate is just now starting to develop, with the youthful richness starting to give way to more savory medium bodied flavour. Medium to good length here. Maybe a little in between phases but it should keep lifting from here.

1999 vintage

Serious wine with many years ahead of it. Drinkable now, but holding a lot in reserve. A classic "old school" Vega Sicilia and I mean that in the best possible way. Would be a great one to put a case in the cellar and follow along over the years.

1999 vintage

Still a complete and total baby. This had been opened and decanted for maybe 3 or 4 hours when I tried it and I left it in my glass for another hour or so before drinking. It's got lots of promise, but I think needs some more time for all of the pieces to come together. It's very tight. I mostly get a lot of the oak coming from it. I think it will be great, but going to keep …

1999 vintage

Pausing for the Cause (S.K.Y. Restaurant - Chicago IL) : Small glass, brief note. Beef carpaccio with cracked black pepper and espresso. Very good depth and length. Getting close to its peak drinking window. More pleasure tonight vs the '04 in the next glass, but not quite the same long-term potential.

1999 vintage

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Vega Sicilia, Unico, Ribera del Duero

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