Warm, opulent, dense, lots of over ripe and over-extracted blackberry on this nose. Green. Jammy. Extremely grippy tannin. Feels very dry and oaked. Roasted.
Comparable to nose on the '07 but less over the top. Striking tannin and drinking very very dry. Winemaker and owner say this should theoretically be the best of the three in the first flight. It is certainly huge, just hard to get over how dry it is. New French and American oak... from Ohio. Appropriately described by one guest as a 'beast'.
Opulent, ripe, round, blackberry and cassis. This is actually the most approachable of the first three, but is still big and tough on the palate. Maybe softening up a touch. Preferable to the '04 and '07, but this makes '03 Bordeaux feel as soft as Chambolle.
Warm, toasted, ripe, but opening up somewhat and beginning to lend a touch of terroir expression to the nose. Still a wallop of underripe blackberry. Very small vintage, only 40,000 bottles. Decidedly preferable to everything younger. Approachable on the palate, acid feels higher allowing for a longer mid palate and finish. Comparable to an '00 St. Emilion.
Pleasant nose, bigger and warmer than that on the '02, gaining some expression but still big and young overall. Big tannic palate. Hot and ripe. Don't love drinking this, although it is drinkable now as opposed to the '07 and '04, which are not.
This is sherried and oxidative on the nose. Leathery and raisined. A distinct and unique perfume. Totally different than the other wines thus far. Sweet. This was a controversial bottle at dinner: some say flawed, some say their favourite. Winemaker and owner say it was a very problematic year but is one of their personal favourites.
Nose developing some expression, quite spicy, dried raspberry and cranberry. This has pleasant dried florals as well, like rose petals. Bit of roast meat in here too. Still hot and structured on the palate but delivering a lot of fruit juice. Makes for big but certainly pleasurable drinking. Yeah, very good, complex, and integrated, but young right now. Glad to have a few of these to come back to, anywhere from 10 to 30 years...
Estate owner says this is farther advanced than it should be. Maderizing and sweetening somewhat. Controversial bottle tonight as well. Nice spice. Far better on the palate than the nose suggests. Structured but approachable. Nice red berry fruit juice through the finish. Nice acidity.
Good nose here, ripe plum and currant fruit, gaining nuance and development. Cool spice and cola. Big palate, structured but softening and approachable. Not as impressive / enjoyable as '86.
Okay, here we go. This is a fantastic nose with plenty of expression. Roasting coffee beans, sweet espresso, and mocha. Chocolate covered cherries. Quite lovely. Burgundian, like Charmes Chambertin. Both sweet, savoury, and a little dirty on the palate. Lots of cool cola on both nose and palate. Fruit is drying and tiring somewhat. Palate is a touch shorter than you'd hope, but is very strong and flavourful up front.
Strong and distinct nose, still mostly young black and purple berry fruit. Chocolate, liquorice, and lacquered black cherry. Little varnishy. Syrupy but also quite dry through the palate. Smells ten years younger than the '86 and '87. Built to last. Wound up palate.
Also very good on the nose, competing with the '81. Damp coffee grounds, cool spice. Highly expressive aromatics. This is tremendous on the palate as well. Dense, ripe, fully mature red, blackberry, and currant fruit. Cloves. Very enjoyable. Very close to the '86, which ultimately gets the nod, although this is right there too.
Beautiful nose, comparable to that on the '86. Soft cola spice, chocolates and mocha, and chocolate covered cherries. Expressive and elegant nose, complex and interesting aromatics. Rare roast beef in here too. Still firmly structured on the palate with bigger tannins, tighter fruit, and a shorter finish than the '85. Still very good. In top three wines of the night.
Dried florals, rose petals. Quite savoury, jamon. Plenty of black currant and ripe blackberry still present on the nose. Hard to believe that is 63 years old, but this is an original from the Vega Sicilia cellars opened with the owner. Supremely elegant and expressive. Tremendous on the palate and delivers wallop of fruit. Structured up front but melts into a beautiful midpalate and singing finish. Wow, that is still going and excellent. Wine of the night.
Very lively and showy. Savoury with elegant and highly expressive florals. Soft strawberry. That is an awesome nose. Immensely flavourful on the palate. Developing tertiary maple flavours but still delivering solid red fruit. Light but textured and ever intriguing. Superior to the 1924. Kept this special bottle.
Savoury cured pork meats, dried florals, cinnamon baking spices. Blackberry still present. This is an excellent nose, but farther along than the '29. Shorter palate than '29 as well. One short jab of tart red berry fruit, then mostly tertiary.
2007 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 89 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Warm, opulent, dense, lots of over ripe and over-extracted blackberry on this nose. Green. Jammy. Extremely grippy tannin. Feels very dry and oaked. Roasted.
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2004 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 89 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Comparable to nose on the '07 but less over the top. Striking tannin and drinking very very dry. Winemaker and owner say this should theoretically be the best of the three in the first flight. It is certainly huge, just hard to get over how dry it is. New French and American oak... from Ohio. Appropriately described by one guest as a 'beast'.
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2003 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 90 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Opulent, ripe, round, blackberry and cassis. This is actually the most approachable of the first three, but is still big and tough on the palate. Maybe softening up a touch. Preferable to the '04 and '07, but this makes '03 Bordeaux feel as soft as Chambolle.
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2002 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 91 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Warm, toasted, ripe, but opening up somewhat and beginning to lend a touch of terroir expression to the nose. Still a wallop of underripe blackberry. Very small vintage, only 40,000 bottles. Decidedly preferable to everything younger. Approachable on the palate, acid feels higher allowing for a longer mid palate and finish. Comparable to an '00 St. Emilion.
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2000 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 90 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Pleasant nose, bigger and warmer than that on the '02, gaining some expression but still big and young overall. Big tannic palate. Hot and ripe. Don't love drinking this, although it is drinkable now as opposed to the '07 and '04, which are not.
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1999 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 89 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
This is sherried and oxidative on the nose. Leathery and raisined. A distinct and unique perfume. Totally different than the other wines thus far. Sweet. This was a controversial bottle at dinner: some say flawed, some say their favourite. Winemaker and owner say it was a very problematic year but is one of their personal favourites.
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1994 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 92 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Nose developing some expression, quite spicy, dried raspberry and cranberry. This has pleasant dried florals as well, like rose petals. Bit of roast meat in here too. Still hot and structured on the palate but delivering a lot of fruit juice. Makes for big but certainly pleasurable drinking. Yeah, very good, complex, and integrated, but young right now. Glad to have a few of these to come back to, anywhere from 10 to 30 years...
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1991 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 90 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Estate owner says this is farther advanced than it should be. Maderizing and sweetening somewhat. Controversial bottle tonight as well. Nice spice. Far better on the palate than the nose suggests. Structured but approachable. Nice red berry fruit juice through the finish. Nice acidity.
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1987 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 91 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Good nose here, ripe plum and currant fruit, gaining nuance and development. Cool spice and cola. Big palate, structured but softening and approachable. Not as impressive / enjoyable as '86.
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1986 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 93 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Okay, here we go. This is a fantastic nose with plenty of expression. Roasting coffee beans, sweet espresso, and mocha. Chocolate covered cherries. Quite lovely. Burgundian, like Charmes Chambertin. Both sweet, savoury, and a little dirty on the palate. Lots of cool cola on both nose and palate. Fruit is drying and tiring somewhat. Palate is a touch shorter than you'd hope, but is very strong and flavourful up front.
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1982 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 91 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Strong and distinct nose, still mostly young black and purple berry fruit. Chocolate, liquorice, and lacquered black cherry. Little varnishy. Syrupy but also quite dry through the palate. Smells ten years younger than the '86 and '87. Built to last. Wound up palate.
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1985 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 92 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Also very good on the nose, competing with the '81. Damp coffee grounds, cool spice. Highly expressive aromatics. This is tremendous on the palate as well. Dense, ripe, fully mature red, blackberry, and currant fruit. Cloves. Very enjoyable. Very close to the '86, which ultimately gets the nod, although this is right there too.
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1981 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 92 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Beautiful nose, comparable to that on the '86. Soft cola spice, chocolates and mocha, and chocolate covered cherries. Expressive and elegant nose, complex and interesting aromatics. Rare roast beef in here too. Still firmly structured on the palate with bigger tannins, tighter fruit, and a shorter finish than the '85. Still very good. In top three wines of the night.
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1970 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 87 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
There is a bit of that maderizing sweetness in this one. Red and black liquorice. Overripe and tiring. Hot and spiced, don't care for this.
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1953 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 95 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Dried florals, rose petals. Quite savoury, jamon. Plenty of black currant and ripe blackberry still present on the nose. Hard to believe that is 63 years old, but this is an original from the Vega Sicilia cellars opened with the owner. Supremely elegant and expressive. Tremendous on the palate and delivers wallop of fruit. Structured up front but melts into a beautiful midpalate and singing finish. Wow, that is still going and excellent. Wine of the night.
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1929 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 93 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Very lively and showy. Savoury with elegant and highly expressive florals. Soft strawberry. That is an awesome nose. Immensely flavourful on the palate. Developing tertiary maple flavours but still delivering solid red fruit. Light but textured and ever intriguing. Superior to the 1924. Kept this special bottle.
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1924 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 91 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Savoury cured pork meats, dried florals, cinnamon baking spices. Blackberry still present. This is an excellent nose, but farther along than the '29. Shorter palate than '29 as well. One short jab of tart red berry fruit, then mostly tertiary.
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