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Unico 2004

Bodegas Vega Sicilia, Ribera el Duero, Spain

Bodegas Vega Sicilia
Ribera el Duero Spain
  • 97
    Points
  • The 710 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 15 Pros of
    16 recommend
    this wine
824 97
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    38

  • Producer ranking ?

    7

  • Decanting time

    3h

  • When to drink

    now to 2035

  • Food Pairing

    Roast lamb served medium-rare

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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Parker: Pablo Alvarez described 2004 as a textbook vintage with perfect temperatures and rain just when it was needed. The 2004 has a haunting bouquet of dark brambly black fruit, cassis, honey, a tang of marmalade and bacon fat. It already boasts an intense, burly bouquet that will require years to soften. The palate is full-bodied with succulent, ripe, intense black cherries, white pepper, minerals and liquorice and it fans out beautifully t...

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The Story

Of the 1,000 hectares making up the Vega Sicilia estate, 210 are used for wine growing, and there are 19 soil-types divided for management purposes into 52 plots with very specific characteristics. The influence of the flow of the river Duero and the passage of time have been vital in forming these soils.

70 of these hectares are employed to produce Unico. A unique, magical estate which, along with extraordinary management of the vineyard, ...

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Tasting note

color

Medium, Ruby red and Dark

ending

Long, Extensive and Round

flavors

Spice, Blackcurrant, Blueberry, Toasty, Cigar-box and New-oak

nose

Youthful, Complex, Generous and Ripe

taste

Average in Acidity, High tannin, Well-structured, Perfectly balanced, Well-Integrated, Youthful, Full-bodied, Rich, Fresh, Fragrant and Silky tannins

Verdict

Impressive and Well made

Written Notes

Approachable and sweet, with dried prunes and dates on the palate plus a hint of mocha. Full bodied, generous and very ripe, this is a voluptuous, richer style than the Unicos of the past. Drink 2026-2045 Alcohol 14%

-
  • 92p

Ruby. Dark fruits, liquorice, intense, deep, vanilla, spices, intense. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, ripe, dark berries, spices, rich, intense, blackberries, pure youth, long. 94

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  • 94p

Dark garnet red with almost black core. A very powerful wine with initially quite closed character, opening up quite slowly. Restrained fruit, discreet spiciness and hints of balmy aroma in the background. On the palate very powerful, concentrated and closed, but extremely promising potential. Forget in the cellar for another couple of years.

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  • 95p
Bottle with normal size. Looking medium, ruby red and dark. Open, intense, youthful, complex, refined, ripe, generous, tempting and rich on the nose. The taste is fresh, full, rich, vigor, elegant, fragrant, toasty, powerful, average in acidity, perfectly balanced, well-structured, well-integrated, good texture, youthful, high tannin, silky tannins, sweet tannins and full-bodied. With blackcurrant, chocolate, toasty, new-oak, blueberry, cigar-box, perfumed and spice flavor. Long, round, lingering, extensive, spicy and vibrant. Impressive, out of this world and superb. Decanted over 4h and drink between 2020 and 2030.
- (Tasting note created by Tb's AI)
  • 94p
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Information

Origin

Valbuena, Ribera el Duero

Inside Information

Moving on to the big guns, the 2004 Unico is truly spectacular, in line with the 1970 and 1994. It's a blend of 87% Tempranillo and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. Unico has a unique long aging, in the case of the 2004, 15 months in 20,000-liter vats, 25 month in new barrels, 17 months in used barrels and a further 26 months in the big oak vats. It has complex notes of tobacco, cedar wood and blackberries, and shows very good balance between power and elegance as well as perfect ripeness. It has a similar profile to the 1994, but there's ten years difference in experience and technical knowledge. There is nuance; there is detail, filigree, balance, harmony and complexity. There is a fine texture. In short, it is a great, world-class wine, a superb vintage for Unico. 87,500 bottles, 2,229 magnums, 150 double magnums and 5 Imperials were filled with this extraordinary wine. This is approachable now, but it's a shame to drink so soon. It will age for a very long time, as it has the balance and harmony to do so, and it will develop more complexity with time. Drink 2016-2029.
Score: 97 Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate (214), August 2014
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