Vega Sicilia’s Unico, mainly Tempranillo with a balancing 8% of Cabernet Sauvignon, was aged in wood for nearly seven years before being bottled, starting with 15 months in large oak vats, followed by 25 months in new barriques, before being transferred to used ones for another 17 months and ending its elevage with a further 22 months in those large wood vats again.
99pts James Suckling – 2010 vintage
“This is still very tight and closed with so much depth and beauty. The linear line to this is very vertical and draws you down. It shows intense blackberry, dark-chocolate, hazelnut and walnut character. Full body. Chewy yet extremely polished. Precise. Shows decadence. So drinkable already, but better in 2022.”
98pts Decanter Magazine – 2010 vintage
“Unico is Tinto Fino, with 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, in contrast to Valbuena No.5, which has a small dash of Merlot. It opens with alluring aromas of dark plums, spice and oak. As expected, it’s powerful, intense and very long, but within that you can note the very fine tannins, the result of the assiduous attention to ageing in different types and sizes of vats over the years. There’s an element of tobacco smoke, of black fruits, of the dark plums promised in the aromas, the whole beautifully integrated. A vintage and a wine that’s hard to better. This has 25 to 30 years ahead of it, but you could also enjoy it within a few years – that’s the essence of Vega Sicilia, its interplay of youth and ageability.”
96pts Wine Spectator– 2010 vintage
Dense, balanced and complex, with plum, dried currant, cigar box leather and mineral flavors. Harmonious and graceful, in a classic style.
