x
  • Country ranking ?

    71
  • Producer ranking ?

    19
  • Decanting time

    45min
  • When to drink

    now!
  • Food Pairing

    rosted veal

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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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, enables the production of legendary wines.

The Unico ageing process is probably the world's longest, since it runs for at least ten years from the barrel to the bottle. 225-litre barrels of French and American wood, both new and used, and 20,000-litre tanks. A long complex process for a great wine.

The flagship wine Unico is a wine for all eternity. Only a handful of terroirs worldwide are able to match wine's extraordinary ageing capacity. This is a wine of inimitable style, mature, tremendously elegant and silky, in which the ageing process brings the mystique of the essence to the surface.

The qualities of the Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon in different proportions are assembled to perfection in this wine. Each provides a differentiating factor that makes the wine great in every vintage.

The vines are grown on plots where the land is located at the point between the slopes down from the wasteland and the alluvial plain. The soil nearest the surface is made out of fine colluvial deposits from the hillside with small fragment of limestone. There is abundant quartz gravel deeper down in a sandy main soil. There are many angular limestone boulders on the surface.

Red wine made in controlled fermentation using native yeast in wooden tanks. Malolactic fermentation also takes place in wood.  After its fermentation, its goes through what is probably the world's longest ageing of a red wine, almost 10 years between wood and bottle. The different stages take place in different types of barrel: American and French wood, new and used 225-litre barrels, 20,000-litre vats, each batch is what determines the type of wood and the time spent in each container. After the stage in the wood, it is aged in the bottle to complete a long and complex ageing process. It will normally spend 6 years in wood and three in the bottle.

The different elements in its preparation are fine-tuned in the search of the master line that has guided the wine. Único remains true to a clear and well-defined style, with an inimitable character and style; elegance, strength, ageing capacity... A unique and timeless taste that has elevated it to among the aristocracy of the great classic wines.

It offers an infinite complexity that is gradually revealed, in every sip, the palate immensely silky and elegant, and has an ageing capacity that only a handful of wines in the world can claim.

Bodegas Vega Sicilia Unico is still “a prophet in its own land”, Spain, and only a small part of the production leaves the country to be sold abroad. The production of Unico varies from 30.000 to 100.000 bottles depending on the year. The commercial success of Unico is nevertheless decided beforehand regardless of the amount produced, since each vintage is already sold out before the bottling. Yet 700 people are queuing for Unico´s customer list hoping that some of the customers of long standing would give up their place, or forget to order anything for two years, which automatically drops them from the list. The list of the privileged subscribers does not exceed 4,000, and they naturally remain anonymous. Pablo Alvarez, manager of Vega Sicilia, is conscientious when it comes to impartiality towards long standing loyal customers, even though the balance between the company´s firm commercial policy and influential quarters wanting wines outside its customer list is not always easy to maintain.

For example, when Queen Elizabeth II visited Spain a few years ago, the British Embassy wanted Vega Sicilia to represent Spain´s wine tradition at the dinner arranged to honour the Queen. Although the order had been duly placed and at decent notice, the estate was able to deliver only four cases for the dinner, of course with all manner of apologies for not having been able to meet the order in full.
Respecting loyal customers has been a matter of tremendous importance for Bodegas Vega Sicilia throughout its history. When Jesús Anadón was the estate steward the United States´ importer paid a visit and told him that in his faraway homeland the demand was more than 200.000 bottles. As he determinedly insisted that his order be multiplied, the inimitable Jesús stated without blinking an eye that the limit was 500 bottles and no more, and this was his last word.

Unico is a unique wine, and one of the great Spanish classics. It is the signature wine of Vega Sicilia and is taken from some of the oldest vines available. The wine is mostly Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon.
– The Unico wine is produced only in exceptional years, that is, in the course of one decade two or three vintages are "sacrificed" in order to maintain the high quality. It is right that the effect of the harvest is present in each wine: then the -81, -74, -75, -66. -65 and -62 are Unicos in aromatical complexity reaching baroque extremes and the -70, -89, -62, -42 and -22 ones are based on the tannic power reaching to be perpetual wine” , said Mr. Alvarez to me when we asked his personal opinion best vintages of Unicos

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Wine Information

Unico – Bodegas Vega Sicilia

Bodegas Vega Sicilia Unico is still “a prophet in its own land”, Spain, and only a small part of the production leaves the country to be sold abroad. The production of Unico varies from 30.000 to 100.000 bottles depending on the year. The commercial success of Unico is nevertheless decided beforehand regardless of the amount produced, since each vintage is already sold out before the bottling. Yet 700 people are queuing for Unico´s customer list hoping that some of the customers of long standing would give up their place, or forget to order anything for two years, which automatically drops them from the list. The list of the privileged subscribers does not exceed 4,000, and they naturally remain anonymous. Pablo Alvarez, manager of Vega Sicilia, is conscientious when it comes to impartiality towards long standing loyal customers, even though the balance between the company´s firm commercial policy and influential quarters wanting wines outside its customer list is not always easy to maintain.
For example, when Queen Elizabeth II visited Spain a few years ago, the British Embassy wanted Vega Sicilia to represent Spain´s wine tradition at the dinner arranged to honour the Queen. Although the order had been duly placed and at decent notice, the estate was able to deliver only four cases for the dinner, of course with all manner of apologies for not having been able to meet the order in full.
Respecting loyal customers has been a matter of tremendous importance for Bodegas Vega Sicilia throughout its history. When Jesús Anadón was the estate steward the United States´ importer paid a visit and told him that in his faraway homeland the demand was more than 200.000 bottles. As he determinedly insisted that his order be multiplied, the inimitable Jesús stated without blinking an eye that the limit was 500 bottles and no more, and this was his last word.
Unico is a unique wine, and one of the great Spanish classics. It is the signature wine of Vega Sicilia and is taken from some of the oldest vines available. The wine is mostly Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon.
– The Unico wine is produced only in exceptional years, that is, in the course of one decade two or three vintages are "sacrificed" in order to maintain the high quality. It is right that the effect of the harvest is present in each wine: then the -81, -74, -75, -66. -65 and -62 are Unicos in aromatical complexity reaching baroque extremes and the -70, -89, -62, -42 and -22 ones are based on the tannic power reaching to be perpetual wine” , said Mr. Alvarez to me when I asked his personal opinion best vintages of Unicos


Grape varieties: 85% Tempranillo Tinto Fino, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon (1995 vintage)
Winemaking / Ageing: Once the process of fermentation has been completed, the wine remains in large capacity wooden vats for 22 months. It then matures for 22 months in new casks, 28 months in semi-new casks and 24 months in large capacity wooden vats. The remaining time is spent in the bottle until being released.

Bodegas Vega Sicilia S.A.
Finca Vega Sicilia
Carretera Nacional 122, km 323
47359 Valbuena de Duero
Spain
Tel. + 34 983 680 147
Fax + 34 983 680 263
vegasicilia@vega-sicilia.com
www.vega-sicilia.com

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Average Bottle Price

2020 2015 2010 2005 2000 1995
2 339€ +6.8% 2 190€ +32.0% 1 659€ +90.7% 870€ +32.8% 655€ +46.2% 448€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Full and Healthy

ending

Long, Smooth and Round

flavors

Leather, Plum and Coffee

nose

Complex, Fresh, Ripe and Youthful

recommend

Yes

taste

High in Acidity, Well-structured, Round, Harmonious, Ripe and Silky tannins

Written Notes

“Hubba, hubba - sweet, leathery, sexy, oaky spice...has a cream-pie filled personality...still good t ‘n a at age eighty-one...has seductive brown fruit aromas, caramel, molasses and mature spice...some grain-like, oatmeal, morning cereal quality laced with sugar...very tangy and spicy palate full of leather, tang and alcohol...meaty yet wild and zesty...heavy, thick, molasses nose...gets wet- ter and thicker with a long, spicy finish...palate retains a tangy quality and you must not be afraid of the old style and its volatile acidity...just starting to enter its decline phase! I loved it, but some thought there was too much sherry in there.”(95pts JK)

  • 95p

This rare Unico looked very old indeed, but had an admirable top-shoulder level and both original label and capsule. Decanted 30 minutes. Very dark, almost black, deep and a healthy looking colour. The bouquet was slightly weak in the attack, but when it gradually opened up during the first 30 minutes in the glass, it was amazingly powerful, sweet, ripe, and leathery. No rush!  Incredibly youthful and fresh. It has a good structure, sweet fruit and great acidity. The taste was smooth and balanced which emphasised the feeling of harmony. This 1922 Unico was a round, delicious wine with silky tannins and lovely length. A truly fine wine with excellent keeping power.

  • 95p

Brick red colour with slightly orange tinges. The first nose displays an aroma reminiscent of old Tawny Port, slowly developing in the direction of roasted chestnuts, dried fruits such as figs, prunes and dates. Mild spices in the background, malt candy, balmy notes and hints of candied sugar as well as a touch of marmite but still with finesse. On the palate very elegant with a touch of sweetness and fine acidity. Great depth and length with balmy character, dried figs and prunes, hints of tobacco leaf. A wine with persistence and great character, an almost perfect botte.

  • 99p
Ruby, orange rim. Plums, spices, violets and some dark berries clinging to their life. Fresh acidity, tannins gone, detailed if lean but lively, delicate, long and lean finish. 93
  • 93p
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Information

Origin

Valbuena, Ribera el Duero

Vintage Quality

Above Average

Value For Money

Satisfactory

Release state price

6$

Investment potential

Very Good

Fake factory

None
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