Wow! Terrific. Redolent red, blue and black berries. Powerful, nuanced and balanced. Amazing balance of acid, silky tannins, lively with great grip and a long finish. Tobacco, leather and spices.
Just a terrific wine, drinking well right now.
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Cork was in good shape. Opened to breathe 3h before dinner with friends and decanted as soon as we reached Love and Salt in Manhattan Beach. Earthy, leathery, tobacco notes predominated with cherry, graphite and a long finish. Smooth and classy, almost understated. Many other secondary notes floated into and out of the tasting profile during the meal, herbality, vegetal, foresty flavors and smells. Tannins resolved, no sign of aging, this still has plenty of life. A complex meditation wine. Paired with meatball appetizers, spicy pastas, and pizza.
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Sometimes one just had great expectations for a wine.. and can't help but feel dissapointed. After all Unico is Vega Sicilia's flagship, its meant to be a super age worthy wine for the ages.. and this 1998 is supposedly a RP98 pointer!
Not to mention we paid USD 500 for the privilege of popping this at the restaurant.. so we had the right to expect so much more from what is one of my grail wines!!
Instead, we found the wine closed, tight, and slightly diluted and disjointed. Suspect provenance or some poor storage over the 24 years since it left Ribera del Duero 🇪🇸? Sold and served at ATAS in RuMa KL.
Nose indistinct, black fruits and cherry palate and long finish!
Unico goes through what is probably the world's longest ageing of a red wine, almost 10 years between wood and bottle. How unique is that!
This 1998 Unico is made from 92% Tempranillo and an untypically high 8% Cab Sauv.
Even though its already 24 years old, experts describe this as a wine you could enjoy for over 50 years!
The muted palate was one thing, but what frustrated me the most was not getting those intoxicating aromas associated with an aged Unico.
@Mika Tyson Teau, @Joe Yee Wong, @Eddie Cheah and I shared this bottle on the occasion of Joe's birthday celebration in the heart of Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾
We looked so hard for the violet flowers and magical mouthfeel but it was not to be found.. the hunt for a moment when Unico mesmerises and excites is still on!
We tried to decant this for over 3 hours but it only evolved marginally better, and we never got the unique coconut nose or notes, nor the sexy mouthfeel or luscious fruits... Definitely did not get the depth and complexity expected of such a spectacular Wine and strong vintage too.
Alma with Ellen & James: Ben & Bernie’s bottle - enticing nose of black fruits, violets, wet flowers, tobacco, spices. Palate of black fruits, red fruits, black cherries, dried violets, raisins, tobacco leaves, black tea, soil, with a tinge of smoky wood. Tobacco leaf and green pepper on the finish which was very long. So much depth yet weightless on the palate. Kept getting better over the night, with tertiaries of dried roses and leather. Hedonistic. Just amazing - too early in the year to call a wine of the year? But definitely WOTN for me.
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Saturated, deep ruby throughout. A hint of pine and blackberry jam. Dense and glycerine-enveloping feel. Black and blue fruit, perfectly ripe, round tannins, some herb. Tremendous freshness for its age, but not nearly mature, and showing quite primary. Give it another 20+ years to unwind.
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Our Philly Wine Group's Spanish/Portuguese Dinner (Mixto Restaurante, Phila., PA USA): Brought by Steve to our Philly Wine group’s Spanish/Portuguese dinner at Mixto Restaurante in Philadelphia. This was decanted for only a short time at the restaurant before everyone jumped in...I had the last taste about 3 hours later. This was truly a monumental wine, perfectly balancing power and elegance. It was medium to dark garnet with no visible bricking. The nose was forward, if not quite effusive, with lots of earthy elements as well as rich red and black fruit. While oak influence I’d detected it is by no means power the top or disruptive to the overall experience. It had medium+ to high acidity and medium- tannin. If I had any slight criticism it was that the fruit while layered was very hard to identify with red and black fruit clearly present but it didn’t scream well defined flavors like “blackberry” or “black plum” or “red cherry”...nevertheless this was an incredibly complex wine that was richly textured, with earth, fruit, cedar and spice flavors and a very long minute+ finish. Impeccably balanced...rich, bold, bright and energetic all at the same time. This was the WOTN for the majority of the 9 in attendance, including me. Thanks for bringing it Steve!
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Decanted at Mixto for an hour. Lovely nose of tobacco, hints of cedar. Tremendous complexity on the nose and palate. On the palate smooth black fruit, oak, mineral. Delicious with calamari and mussels.
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Definite bucket list wine for me, thanks to the awesome King James for the taste. Incredible depth, reminiscent of good old classed growth Bordeaux, but perhaps better in some ways. Lots of complex dried black fruit but enough fresh fruit to keep you searching. Immense spice complexity in the mid, white and green, still showing lots of life left. Tannins are still present and coating but utterly balanced by that acidity, very fine grained in complexion and no drying on the palate. Definitely a strong savory pork fat character underpinning the palate throughout. An exquisite wine, and one perhaps worth the premium considering the complicated and time consuming wine making process VS is known for. One of the top wines of the world, no question. Gonna go find a newer vintage to lose at the bottom of my cellar.
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Marchant blind tasting. The 2004 was served in a pair next to the 1998. Dark ruby with purple hue, rich, ripe, lots of raspberry bonbon, toast, vanilla. The 1998 showed additional cassis notes. Ripe wines but the acidic balance works here. I rarely drink wines this ripe, so I was pretty clueless what it was. Wrote down “probably something like a Carrignan or Malbec from South America”. Unico it was. Score higher if you like this style.
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Spain Trip (w/ some Rioja gems): Wow, this is a great wine. It is so so complex revealing new nuances with every sip. Despite its 20 years, this is still young and vibrant and nowhere near its peak. It can easily be drunk right now with a nice decant but I would just wait another decade or two (at least). 96 points for now with potential to reach the 97-100 bracket once mature.
TN: A very delicate nose with so many layers of aromas: meaty notes, dark berries, fresh herbs, many layers of earthy notes, almonds, roasted oak. Same complexity of precise aromas on the palate with some additional aromas of coffee beans, cocoa, more nuts, cedar and mint. The structural frame is impeccable with loads of ultra-fine tannins and a good freshness. Good length.
Decanting: Good from the go but got more expressive after 2 hours in the decanter. My guess is that 4 hours in the decanter should be enough today.
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Drank along a tasting lunch at Arzak. Poured into a decanter, but started pretty much right away with the first glass. Meaty flavours of bacon and bacon fat. Showing big and bold from the beginning. Ripe red and some darker fruit, black coffee and earthy notes. Also green, fresh herbs. Nice leathery, minty and dense palate you almost have to chew. Strong but well integrated tannins. Still appears very youthful. Over time some savoury notes appear as well. A great wine with many years of aging left!
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One of my bucket list wines and one I enjoyed last week while on vacation. Dark Burgundy in color and brick colored around the rim. Nose was wonderful and so inviting. Med full bodied and smooth. Notes of blackberries, leather, smoke cedar, prune, raisin, forest floor, and faint floral notes. Decanted for 4 hours. You knew you were drinking a special and well made wine. I had probably unrealistic expectations for the wine so it didn't wow me like I had fantasized.
Be careful! Did not impress directly after opening. Got it's act together at the second try 12 hours later. Did not fully match the quality of the other wines in the flight (Cheval Blanc, Angélus and Pavie, all '98) but eventually came close. In 2008 Jos Raynolds (Vinous) gave 96pt and wrote about this wine: "I'd love to sneak this into a tasting of 1998 Saint-Emilion and Graves wines in ten years or so." That's exactly what I did and the similarity in style is indeed amazing, despite Vega Sicilia being 80% Tempranillo. Still a long and healthy life ahead.
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Damn, just fabulous. Perhaps the highest and best use of American oak, which complements the rich but nuanced dark fruit, it combines power and agility like an All-Pro linebacker. Great now and it will likely continue to be for at least another 20 years.
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Wow this was good. Great mouthfeel. Really is like liquid velvet as someone mentioned. Complex flavors, and extremely long finish. A very special wine I will not soon forget.
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From mag for Longitude315 60th birthday mag party. This was consensus WOTN from an amazing set of 30 mags of great wines. This was slow oxed for several hours then double decanted. Showed seamless dark fruits with perfect pitch and balance. Robust in an earthy style with spices and length that just sent on and on. A special wine. Still quite young, yet giving full pleasure now.
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Decanted at the Union League. Savory campfire nose, on the palate round balanced red fruit, faint spices, liquid velvet: utterly smooth. A major *wow* meditation wine.
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1998 VEGA SICILIA UNICO GRAN RESERVA RIBERA del DUERO- a great bottle with perfect balance, power and finesse in the iron fist in a velvet glove analogy giving immense pleasure from the nose through the tail; initially, it was so big and powerful, a little sip was all I could tolerate; with time in the glass [and I gave it a lot], it moved into its ideal place with generous amounts of rich, full bodied, layers of unfolding nuances with spicy oak accented blue and black fruit
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Christmas Party - Wine Club (@ HSH): Very dry but also very juicy and has a liqueur note to it. Still it has plenty of dark plum fruit and a hint of vanilla. I just adored it and the acidity and overall balance is amazing. Huge wine that just needs a lot more time in bottle.
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Unico tasting (27 different vintages) at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2017: full purple colour; not much going on in the nose; a very nice mouth feel but flavours: nope; medium body with silky texture and medium finish.
I noticed this wine has nearly a 95 point average score here in cellartracker. For me it did not work out that day. Maybe the wine needed much more decanting time (the waiter told us: all younger Unico's - which meant for him back to the 1964 vintage - were opened and poured into a decanter 3-4 hours before the tasting started, the original bottle was then rinsed out and the wine poured back)?
Celebration of Life (Mike's house): Decanted about 3 hours. The nose is unctuous and savory. The nose and palate has earth, tobacco, red fruit, leather and smoke. It remined me of a very clean funk-less Bordeaux. Tannins were accessible, still firm. The finish was slightly bitter.
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What a wonderful Vega Unico.Typical with plum and cigare , fantastic! Good length.At the end we were asking for another bottle.A great Vega. Will be at top on 2028.
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Crowd pleasure affirmé,il reste un monstre ce vin mais facilement domptable. Il est très digeste malgré son côté boisé qui commence a bien se fondre. Un peu de barrique,vanillé, fruits noirs et racoleur,il sera encore vivant dans 10-15 ans. 17.5/20
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Decanted for 2h at 1862 restaurant. A revelation: tasted side by side with '99 Margaux, the Unico won WOTN by a nose. Earthy brambly nose, promising red fruit and cherry that delivers - amply - on the palate. Tannins integrated, faint acid in the finish. Everything where it should be; big, bold, and classy. A-MA-ZING.
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Vega Sicilia Unico Tasting (Crystal Wines): Wine aired in decanter for 3 hours then poured back into bottle before tasting. Not rated as had only 1 glass. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium intensity, with aromas of floral violets, woody spice, sweet baking spices, and a fruity core of red and black cherries, and blueberries. Youthful. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13.5%), silky smooth medium tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of red and black cherries, blackberries, blueberries, sweet baking spices, minerality. Very long finish. Outstanding quality. Impressive deep dense core of fruit. Drink this in 10+ years' time.
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During a merchant vertical tasting. I am not a big fan of this wine in general and this tasting has confirmed it. This wine is far too oxidative for my taste, the tannins are often drying as well and there is a general lack of freshness, "eclat de fruit" and sappyness. One co-taster next to me put it perfectly: It tastes like 1/3 rustic Bordeaux, 1/3 old Burgundy and 1/3 Madeira. Tasting note: Medium-dark brown. Really oxidative nose here with notes of sugar molasses, clay, sweet cherry compote. Earthy and oxidative on the palate as well. The tannins are soft though in this sample, similar to old claret. Lift and freshness is missing.
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Opened for 3 hours before consumption. Supple dark ripe berries nose with still a hint of new oak. Big and full bodied, very young with decent acidity at the back to keep it very interesting all the time. Very primary and will be wonderful with a lot more bottle age.
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First sip too much acidity. After 2.5 hours in the decanter less acidity but still too much (for me). I never had an Unico like this...i think this bottle was flawed. Unfortunately i had only one bottle.
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Decanted at Le Chatelet restaurant in Zaragoza. Wow. Soft and supple complexity, with full fruit (black cherries) and balanced acids. Tannins completely resolved. Such a different experience when compared head to head with the much brasher and up-front '06 Valbuena. Here with the Unico we have a more sophisticated presence, tonight with the lamb main course and chocolate dessert. Sublime.
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Tuesday Night Double Blind $50+ (Bin 75): Dark core with lots of sediment, age, brick brown rim; menthol, mint, tar, American oak, dill; silky seamless texture, nice depth, plum, blackberry, dark cherry, nice depth and complexity just not a wow wine for us.
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At Wine & View Bar at Helsinki Airport. The wine was dark garnet in colour and offered a ripe nose of red and dark fruit, cured meat, leather, tobacco, cocoa, spices, smoke and balsamic notes. On the palate the wine showed dark fruit, dark cherry, cocoa, leather, spices, vanilla and smoke, with great, fresh, medium-plus to high acidity, dry, medium-plus tannin and superb length. Full-bodied and intense, yet balanced. Kept improving in the glass. Still very young, with a long life ahead.
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Dreamer no 2: Un nez moderne, coconut, un coté wild (un peu de volatile?) Difficile de passer après les Bourgogne parfumés mais il s'en tire grâce à sa très belle texture, c'est frais et équilibré, savoureux, long et digeste. Un vin sauvage civilisé. Il perd quelques points pour le nez trop moderne à mon goût. 93 pts
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MWS Wine Tasting and Dinner (Restaurant De Burgemeester *, Linschoten, Netherlands): Much cleaner and more modern style than the 1989 it was paired with, marked difference, richer than the 1996, excellent intensity and length, hints of vanilla and spice, ripe but rich and fresh fruit, cloves, beef stew, powerful but beautifully balanced and elegant. A wonderful symphony of balance and power. Long life.
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What a wine, will probably surpass the much praised 94. Early window of maturity but by no means there yet. Decanted and aerated for about 90 minutes and drank over another two hours. Opulence and finesse intermingled with complexity and power. Beautiful ruby color with slight bricking at the rim. Flabbergasting nose of ripe blackberries, blueberries, tinged with cocoa, cinnamon, jasmine, even cola and a bit of alcohol. This is a viscous dense wine with amazing legs, very complex and fat entry on the palate, multiple layers mid palate with all the different tones excellently balanced between black and blue fruits, spices, ripeness, intensity, backbone, acidity, like a flawless orchestra performing a Beethoven symphony. Outstanding long rich finish with silky tannins and mocha. I can only see this wine getting better and more complex. One of my favorite Vegas.
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Septet wine-lovers 1st meeting in 2014 (Makom shel Basar restaurant, Neveh Tsedek, TLV): dark red-brown color excellent secondary & tertiary earthy fruity aromas full body, silky tannins, savory flavors, optimal level of tannins & bitterness, balanced acidity, rich, opulence, complex, close to perfect, a real experience. Long aftertaste. A masterpiece of Ribera del Duero. (after over two hours the wine started to fade out in the glass)
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San Sebastian; 11/22/2013-11/24/2014 (San Sebastian, Spain): Decanted for 1 hour. Useful. The nose on this wine is an OMG moment. In a way more Burgundian than Spanish. So elegant and complex, with good fruit, light spice, cinnamon, cloves at times. All in tune and full of expression. On the palate it is youthful and fresh, full of energy, good ripe fruit and balanced. Still on the early times in its drinking window and with a lot of future this was a superb wine. Beautiful and delicious. 95 now and can only get better.
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This bottle thankfully confirmed the preceding bottle was just an aberration (see previous note). Decanted and aerated for about 4 hours, this wine was opulent on the nose with blackberries, blueberries, toffee, spice cake. blackish crimson color, fat almost glycerin like entry on the palate, full bodied and exploding with rich fruit mid palate, excellent backbone and acidity, complex finish with solid but velvety tannins, showing signs of what this wine will be like in 10 - 15 years. Good bottles of this Vega vintage never cease to amaze me. Some of my guests thought the wine to have too much power but that is exactly why I love this wine so much.
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Although this bottle as with previous bottles shone through an opulent nose of black berries, cherries, toffee, pain grille, the palate seemed disjointed even after a two hour wait in the decanter. Being a huge fan of this vintage, I will refrain from rating it hoping much of the blame falls on this being a bad bottle. To be continued!
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Absolutely stunning, can't wait to see how this wine evolves over next 20 years. Rich, opulent, perfumed and hedonistic to the bone, Vega Sicilian at it's best. Decant for 2-3 hours at least prior to drinking.
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Again an outstanding and surprisingly very forward Vega. Brilliant nose of dark fruits, blueberries, jam, spices, pain grille, excellent on the palate very tactile and clear yet complex and a nice finish. Medium to full bodied, blackish ruby. What a treat.
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Your Thoughts On ... Vega-Sicilia (Rotterdam): Superb mélange of dark fruit, pain grille and mushroom. On the palate it is delicate with lots of intensity and remarkably refined. With a very long, complex finish. A stellar wine and already very enjoyable!
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The more I drink this vintage of VS Unico, the more partial I am to it. WOTN in a 5 Unico and 3 Riserva Especial (2009, 2010, and 2012 releases) vintage vertical. Similar to previous notes, everything there for this wine, nose, palate, body, structure, complexity, finish, and unabated pleasure.
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First time tasting this vintage of VS Unico having previously had the 82,94,95,96,2000. Decanted and aerated for circa 2 hours and gobelled this beauty in about an hour with a good friend and aficionado. Truly an outstanding wine with amazing complexity and hedonistic to the bone. Deep crimson color with black core, viscous wine almost glycerin like, excellent nose of blackberries, blueberries, cola, spices, cocoa, Christmas cake all fully reflected on the palate starting with a fat lush entry, coating the mid palate with complex and layer upon layer of fruit, really evolved at this stage in terms of complexity so I can only eagerly anticipate how this wine will taste in 10 years. Medium to full bodied, this wine ends complex and long, super fine tannins, excellent structure, acidity and balance, wine-making at its very best. Truly solidifies my admiration of Vega, along with other favorites Latour and Monfortino.
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Decanted for 2 hours. A little reticent a first but improved throughout the evening. Still some room for the tannins to soften and I suspect this wine will warrant a higher score in 5 years. But still a top quality wine... almost bordeaux like in style. Earthy. Black cherries. Good length finish. Excellent.
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Vega-Sicilia evening (Regav @ Hall of Man restaurant): dark red-brown color excellent secondary & tertiary earthy fruity aromas full body, silky tannins, savory flavors, optimal level of tannins & bitterness, balanced acidity, rich, opulence, complex, close to perfect, a real experience. Long aftertaste. A masterpiece of Ribera del Duero.
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Dense fruit - almost Cabernet like in its full, dark fruit-driven nose. More earthy on the palate. Big, but with a sour cherry and brick oven note. Delicious.
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Blind versus Cali Cabs, Super Tuscans and Bordeaux. Out of the gate, really nice with a core of "old fruit" that I have come to associate with Riberas and some older Riojas. Over time, in comparison to the other wines, I found it a little bit unstructured and candied.
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Decanted for 4 hours. Still looking very youthful, deep and vibrant purple. Secondary notes on the nose, leather funkiness with dark berries, the palate is far more primary, mouth filling and delicious, each sip delivers another facet, wonderful length, it's the kind of wine you just need to keep smelling, evocative and captivating, still needs a lot more time, I'd love to come back to this in 10 years time.
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Warm, complex, velvety, at times ethereal nose with sous bois and dark berries. Full, very rich and balanced on the palate, very tasty with just enough acidity, moderate oriental spiciness, ripe cherries. Very long, beautifully juicy aftertaste. Great wine, I believe will only get better for years.
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Very berry-like aroma that took time to open fully, taste was that like its boquet, a blackberry or bosenberry. very well balanced, extremely long finish, 60 seconds or more. Consumed ata tasting with the 68, 75, 80, 91, 96 and the nv especial. Ranked by all attending to be on a par with the 68 which was superb and still showingsome tannins at age 42.
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What a great bottle of wine. Complex expressive nose with lots of dark berries, minerals, spices, bitter almond, smoke, coffe, tobacco and forest honey. The palate is elegant with multiple levels and phases and a fantastic long finish. This wine has it all - fruit, earth, barrique and tertiary aromas are in perfect harmony. The unico 1998 is a drinking-adventure with the best yet to come.
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This is a beauty! Sweet start and an enormous concentration. Good acidity and youthful red fruits. Complex and elegant. Great length. Ready now, but this can last for many more years.
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Slight bricking on the rim with a sold core of dark purple. Initially the nose had a very savory bold aroma of dried meat, bacon and smoke. The palate was also very carnivorous and dry with leather, earth, spicy wood, and a streak creamy oak on the finish. This wine was extremely layered and complex. It continued to shift in the glass as I consumed it. Revealing new elements and dimensions with each sip. Toward the end it began to take on a forest floor quality to it and reminded me of a wonderfully aged Margaux. Taking notes on this wine was so easy because the flavors were so pure and distinct. Overall a superb wine that has levels of depth that are not present in 99% of other bottles.
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Super Spaniards (Top Deck, Jumbo Floating Restaurant, Aberdeen Marina, Hong Kong): Black and totally opaque in colour except purple translucent at the extreme edge. Gorgeous precise pencil lead nose that you fall headlong into like Alice down the rabbit hole giving into immense cassis and blackberries. Fantastic open sumptuous palate with definite Chinese medicine, Chinese red dates and fresh tobacco leaves. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Multiple-dimensional. Good vanilla pods as it unfolds. I'm falling into reveries. Huge length and great resonance in the back of the head. Volupturousness grows with time in the glass....just keeps on getting better......"Earth to Goldstone, hello?".
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A stunner, stood out in Saturday's blind tasting among other top Spanish names. The nose gave this wine a way with its intense and complex dark fruit aromas. Very young in character, felt like a 5yr wine, this can only get better and will warrant a higher score down the line.
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Decanted for 3 hours and served at 68F. Dense, rich, structured, complex, lush and velvety. Old world earthy dark ripe fruit, tobacco, smoke, vanilla, coffee, bacon, and spices and minerals. Very nuanced wine built for a long haul.. Oh what a finish!!! loved this wine ...
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Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Only got a drop or two of this from the very bottom of the bottle. Beautiful deep rich extracted black fruit. Dark berries, scorched earth, tar and licorice dominate the nose. The palate was super rich with a long finish. This is still a baby though.
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Wow, what a wine! Dense, rich, structured, complex, lush and velvety. The nose is so expressive you want to sit with the glass all night taking it in and exploring the myriad of aromas: dark, ripe fruit, tobacco, smoke, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, spices and fresh cut flowers. Professional reviews often compare to Unico to Haut Brion and I agree except that Unico usually has an exotic quality that I absolutely love and this one is no exception. Still too young so I say 96 today maybe 98-99 in another 10+ years.
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Icon Wines Of Spain (WSET, London): Black core, ruby rim. Slightly muted nose of black fruits, light liquorice, dusty coffee, dark chocolate. Intense palate, dry smooth tannin. Long.
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Vega-Sicilia (A Figueira Rubaiyat): Vinho #06. Provado às cegas. Rubi com traços violáceos, halo aquoso, lágrimas numerosas. Parece mais novo e mais macio que o #07 [errado]. Madeira aparente, porém de boa qualidade, taninos macios e média acidez, sem peso. Elegante, lembra Velho Mundo num viés moderno. Estilo diferente dos demais, textura muito sedosa, taninos redondos, meio de boca não muito intenso, ligeiro, porém com boa profundidade. 93+pts. E. Meu palpite: curinga levado pelo M.
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1/27/2024 - ppandian Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow! Terrific. Redolent red, blue and black berries. Powerful, nuanced and balanced. Amazing balance of acid, silky tannins, lively with great grip and a long finish.
Tobacco, leather and spices.
Just a terrific wine, drinking well right now.
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10/20/2023 - skurtz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cork was in good shape. Opened to breathe 3h before dinner with friends and decanted as soon as we reached Love and Salt in Manhattan Beach. Earthy, leathery, tobacco notes predominated with cherry, graphite and a long finish. Smooth and classy, almost understated. Many other secondary notes floated into and out of the tasting profile during the meal, herbality, vegetal, foresty flavors and smells. Tannins resolved, no sign of aging, this still has plenty of life. A complex meditation wine. Paired with meatball appetizers, spicy pastas, and pizza.
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12/4/2022 - popasq Likes this wine: 97 Points
Did not decant, this was delicious
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9/7/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
So perfumed, elegant and refined, beautifully harmonious. Juat gorgeous. Singing acidity. So drink or hold
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9/6/2022 - beatles wrote: 95 Points
Very fresh, spicy with herbs, firm acidity, ends fresh
#El Cellar de Can Rocca #JubileTasting
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8/19/2022 - Juliansi Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Sometimes one just had great expectations for a wine.. and can't help but feel dissapointed. After all Unico is Vega Sicilia's flagship, its meant to be a super age worthy wine for the ages.. and this 1998 is supposedly a RP98 pointer!
Not to mention we paid USD 500 for the privilege of popping this at the restaurant.. so we had the right to expect so much more from what is one of my grail wines!!
Instead, we found the wine closed, tight, and slightly diluted and disjointed. Suspect provenance or some poor storage over the 24 years since it left Ribera del Duero 🇪🇸? Sold and served at ATAS in RuMa KL.
Nose indistinct, black fruits and cherry palate and long finish!
Unico goes through what is probably the world's longest ageing of a red wine, almost 10 years between wood and bottle. How unique is that!
This 1998 Unico is made from 92% Tempranillo and an untypically high 8% Cab Sauv.
Even though its already 24 years old, experts describe this as a wine you could enjoy for over 50 years!
The muted palate was one thing, but what frustrated me the most was not getting those intoxicating aromas associated with an aged Unico.
@Mika Tyson Teau, @Joe Yee Wong, @Eddie Cheah and I shared this bottle on the occasion of Joe's birthday celebration in the heart of Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾
We looked so hard for the violet flowers and magical mouthfeel but it was not to be found.. the hunt for a moment when Unico mesmerises and excites is still on!
We tried to decant this for over 3 hours but it only evolved marginally better, and we never got the unique coconut nose or notes, nor the sexy mouthfeel or luscious fruits... Definitely did not get the depth and complexity expected of such a spectacular Wine and strong vintage too.
Dissapointed tremendously.. all of us were!
ATAS at RuMa hotel in KL, Malaysia - 19 Aug 2022
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9/23/2020 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 95 Points
Small blind sip. Knew it was Unico guessed 96. Very strong showing. American oak apparent but what a lovely wine behind... wow and then some.
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8/15/2020 - UTPK wrote:
As always VS impresses with a bold, open and complex nose. Very elegant and long. Mouthfeel as a mature bordeaux but a llttle bit sweeter.
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3/22/2020 - 1975Latour Likes this wine: 99 Points
Awesome
Eccezionale
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1/6/2020 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Alma with Ellen & James: Ben & Bernie’s bottle - enticing nose of black fruits, violets, wet flowers, tobacco, spices. Palate of black fruits, red fruits, black cherries, dried violets, raisins, tobacco leaves, black tea, soil, with a tinge of smoky wood. Tobacco leaf and green pepper on the finish which was very long. So much depth yet weightless on the palate. Kept getting better over the night, with tertiaries of dried roses and leather. Hedonistic. Just amazing - too early in the year to call a wine of the year? But definitely WOTN for me.
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1/3/2020 - drwine2001 wrote:
Saturated, deep ruby throughout. A hint of pine and blackberry jam. Dense and glycerine-enveloping feel. Black and blue fruit, perfectly ripe, round tannins, some herb. Tremendous freshness for its age, but not nearly mature, and showing quite primary. Give it another 20+ years to unwind.
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12/18/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine: 96 Points
Our Philly Wine Group's Spanish/Portuguese Dinner (Mixto Restaurante, Phila., PA USA): Brought by Steve to our Philly Wine group’s Spanish/Portuguese dinner at Mixto Restaurante in Philadelphia. This was decanted for only a short time at the restaurant before everyone jumped in...I had the last taste about 3 hours later. This was truly a monumental wine, perfectly balancing power and elegance. It was medium to dark garnet with no visible bricking. The nose was forward, if not quite effusive, with lots of earthy elements as well as rich red and black fruit. While oak influence I’d detected it is by no means power the top or disruptive to the overall experience. It had medium+ to high acidity and medium- tannin. If I had any slight criticism it was that the fruit while layered was very hard to identify with red and black fruit clearly present but it didn’t scream well defined flavors like “blackberry” or “black plum” or “red cherry”...nevertheless this was an incredibly complex wine that was richly textured, with earth, fruit, cedar and spice flavors and a very long minute+ finish. Impeccably balanced...rich, bold, bright and energetic all at the same time. This was the WOTN for the majority of the 9 in attendance, including me. Thanks for bringing it Steve!
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12/18/2019 - skurtz Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted at Mixto for an hour. Lovely nose of tobacco, hints of cedar. Tremendous complexity on the nose and palate. On the palate smooth black fruit, oak, mineral. Delicious with calamari and mussels.
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11/27/2019 - Mezz Likes this wine: 96 Points
Definite bucket list wine for me, thanks to the awesome King James for the taste. Incredible depth, reminiscent of good old classed growth Bordeaux, but perhaps better in some ways. Lots of complex dried black fruit but enough fresh fruit to keep you searching. Immense spice complexity in the mid, white and green, still showing lots of life left. Tannins are still present and coating but utterly balanced by that acidity, very fine grained in complexion and no drying on the palate. Definitely a strong savory pork fat character underpinning the palate throughout. An exquisite wine, and one perhaps worth the premium considering the complicated and time consuming wine making process VS is known for. One of the top wines of the world, no question. Gonna go find a newer vintage to lose at the bottom of my cellar.
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10/22/2019 - AWBryce wrote:
sexy nose. coconut, black fruits, plums. lovely structure and silky mouthfeel, nice use of oak, still so youthful.
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10/19/2019 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Marchant blind tasting. The 2004 was served in a pair next to the 1998. Dark ruby with purple hue, rich, ripe, lots of raspberry bonbon, toast, vanilla. The 1998 showed additional cassis notes. Ripe wines but the acidic balance works here. I rarely drink wines this ripe, so I was pretty clueless what it was. Wrote down “probably something like a Carrignan or Malbec from South America”. Unico it was. Score higher if you like this style.
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8/30/2019 - Cailles wrote: 96 Points
Spain Trip (w/ some Rioja gems): Wow, this is a great wine. It is so so complex revealing new nuances with every sip. Despite its 20 years, this is still young and vibrant and nowhere near its peak. It can easily be drunk right now with a nice decant but I would just wait another decade or two (at least). 96 points for now with potential to reach the 97-100 bracket once mature.
TN: A very delicate nose with so many layers of aromas: meaty notes, dark berries, fresh herbs, many layers of earthy notes, almonds, roasted oak. Same complexity of precise aromas on the palate with some additional aromas of coffee beans, cocoa, more nuts, cedar and mint. The structural frame is impeccable with loads of ultra-fine tannins and a good freshness. Good length.
Decanting: Good from the go but got more expressive after 2 hours in the decanter. My guess is that 4 hours in the decanter should be enough today.
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8/30/2019 - sirpat00 wrote: 96 Points
Drank along a tasting lunch at Arzak. Poured into a decanter, but started pretty much right away with the first glass. Meaty flavours of bacon and bacon fat. Showing big and bold from the beginning. Ripe red and some darker fruit, black coffee and earthy notes. Also green, fresh herbs. Nice leathery, minty and dense palate you almost have to chew. Strong but well integrated tannins. Still appears very youthful. Over time some savoury notes appear as well. A great wine with many years of aging left!
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8/9/2019 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 94 Points
One of my bucket list wines and one I enjoyed last week while on vacation. Dark Burgundy in color and brick colored around the rim. Nose was wonderful and so inviting. Med full bodied and smooth. Notes of blackberries, leather, smoke cedar, prune, raisin, forest floor, and faint floral notes. Decanted for 4 hours. You knew you were drinking a special and well made wine. I had probably unrealistic expectations for the wine so it didn't wow me like I had fantasized.
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6/23/2019 - svdheijden wrote: 95 Points
Be careful! Did not impress directly after opening. Got it's act together at the second try 12 hours later. Did not fully match the quality of the other wines in the flight (Cheval Blanc, Angélus and Pavie, all '98) but eventually came close. In 2008 Jos Raynolds (Vinous) gave 96pt and wrote about this wine: "I'd love to sneak this into a tasting of 1998 Saint-Emilion and Graves wines in ten years or so." That's exactly what I did and the similarity in style is indeed amazing, despite Vega Sicilia being 80% Tempranillo. Still a long and healthy life ahead.
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12/22/2018 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 95 Points
Damn, just fabulous. Perhaps the highest and best use of American oak, which complements the rich but nuanced dark fruit, it combines power and agility like an All-Pro linebacker. Great now and it will likely continue to be for at least another 20 years.
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12/19/2018 - SonnyChiba wrote: 96 Points
Wow this was good. Great mouthfeel. Really is like liquid velvet as someone mentioned. Complex flavors, and extremely long finish. A very special wine I will not soon forget.
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12/16/2018 - KenK Likes this wine: 97 Points
From mag for Longitude315 60th birthday mag party. This was consensus WOTN from an amazing set of 30 mags of great wines. This was slow oxed for several hours then double decanted. Showed seamless dark fruits with perfect pitch and balance. Robust in an earthy style with spices and length that just sent on and on. A special wine. Still quite young, yet giving full pleasure now.
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9/1/2018 - Marcyrillo Likes this wine: 96 Points
Very fresh, strong aromas, very long lasting.
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7/23/2018 - skurtz Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted at the Union League. Savory campfire nose, on the palate round balanced red fruit, faint spices, liquid velvet: utterly smooth. A major *wow* meditation wine.
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3/11/2018 - Blake Brown Likes this wine:
1998 VEGA SICILIA UNICO GRAN RESERVA RIBERA del DUERO- a great bottle with perfect balance, power and finesse in the iron fist in a velvet glove analogy giving immense pleasure from the nose through the tail; initially, it was so big and powerful, a little sip was all I could tolerate; with time in the glass [and I gave it a lot], it moved into its ideal place with generous amounts of rich, full bodied, layers of unfolding nuances with spicy oak accented blue and black fruit
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12/1/2017 - canan wrote: 96 Points
Christmas Party - Wine Club (@ HSH): Very dry but also very juicy and has a liqueur note to it. Still it has plenty of dark plum fruit and a hint of vanilla.
I just adored it and the acidity and overall balance is amazing. Huge wine that just needs a lot more time in bottle.
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2/24/2017 - Fatty Cat wrote: 88 Points
Unico tasting (27 different vintages) at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2017: full purple colour; not much going on in the nose; a very nice mouth feel but flavours: nope; medium body with silky texture and medium finish.
I noticed this wine has nearly a 95 point average score here in cellartracker. For me it did not work out that day. Maybe the wine needed much more decanting time (the waiter told us: all younger Unico's - which meant for him back to the 1964 vintage - were opened and poured into a decanter 3-4 hours before the tasting started, the original bottle was then rinsed out and the wine poured back)?
Vintages 5th flight: 1994-1995-1996-1998-1999
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2/19/2017 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
Celebration of Life (Mike's house): Decanted about 3 hours. The nose is unctuous and savory. The nose and palate has earth, tobacco, red fruit, leather and smoke. It remined me of a very clean funk-less Bordeaux. Tannins were accessible, still firm. The finish was slightly bitter.
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2/19/2017 - worldwidewine Likes this wine: 98 Points
What a wonderful Vega Unico.Typical with plum and cigare , fantastic!
Good length.At the end we were asking for another bottle.A great Vega.
Will be at top on 2028.
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12/5/2016 - phil the agony wrote: 94 Points
Crowd pleasure affirmé,il reste un monstre ce vin mais facilement domptable.
Il est très digeste malgré son côté boisé qui commence a bien se fondre.
Un peu de barrique,vanillé, fruits noirs et racoleur,il sera encore vivant dans 10-15 ans.
17.5/20
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8/25/2016 - skurtz Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted for 2h at 1862 restaurant. A revelation: tasted side by side with '99 Margaux, the Unico won WOTN by a nose. Earthy brambly nose, promising red fruit and cherry that delivers - amply - on the palate. Tannins integrated, faint acid in the finish. Everything where it should be; big, bold, and classy. A-MA-ZING.
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4/10/2016 - tsue Likes this wine: 97 Points
Poured from Magnum into 2 decanters before we drang...Typical Beautiful Vega! Red fruits, just the right amount of wood...98
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3/12/2016 - Derek Darth Taster wrote:
Vega Sicilia Unico Tasting (Crystal Wines): Wine aired in decanter for 3 hours then poured back into bottle before tasting. Not rated as had only 1 glass.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium intensity, with aromas of floral violets, woody spice, sweet baking spices, and a fruity core of red and black cherries, and blueberries. Youthful.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13.5%), silky smooth medium tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of red and black cherries, blackberries, blueberries, sweet baking spices, minerality. Very long finish.
Outstanding quality. Impressive deep dense core of fruit. Drink this in 10+ years' time.
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3/12/2016 - Collector1855 wrote: 90 Points
During a merchant vertical tasting. I am not a big fan of this wine in general and this tasting has confirmed it. This wine is far too oxidative for my taste, the tannins are often drying as well and there is a general lack of freshness, "eclat de fruit" and sappyness. One co-taster next to me put it perfectly: It tastes like 1/3 rustic Bordeaux, 1/3 old Burgundy and 1/3 Madeira.
Tasting note: Medium-dark brown. Really oxidative nose here with notes of sugar molasses, clay, sweet cherry compote. Earthy and oxidative on the palate as well. The tannins are soft though in this sample, similar to old claret. Lift and freshness is missing.
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3/9/2016 - Pacalet Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened for 3 hours before consumption. Supple dark ripe berries nose with still a hint of new oak. Big and full bodied, very young with decent acidity at the back to keep it very interesting all the time. Very primary and will be wonderful with a lot more bottle age.
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1/30/2016 - Romol wrote: flawed
First sip too much acidity. After 2.5 hours in the decanter less acidity but still too much (for me). I never had an Unico like this...i think this bottle was flawed. Unfortunately i had only one bottle.
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1/19/2016 - skurtz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted at Le Chatelet restaurant in Zaragoza. Wow. Soft and supple complexity, with full fruit (black cherries) and balanced acids. Tannins completely resolved. Such a different experience when compared head to head with the much brasher and up-front '06 Valbuena. Here with the Unico we have a more sophisticated presence, tonight with the lamb main course and chocolate dessert. Sublime.
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9/15/2015 - Rezy13 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tuesday Night Double Blind $50+ (Bin 75): Dark core with lots of sediment, age, brick brown rim; menthol, mint, tar, American oak, dill; silky seamless texture, nice depth, plum, blackberry, dark cherry, nice depth and complexity just not a wow wine for us.
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8/9/2015 - PSPatrick wrote: 94 Points
At Wine & View Bar at Helsinki Airport. The wine was dark garnet in colour and offered a ripe nose of red and dark fruit, cured meat, leather, tobacco, cocoa, spices, smoke and balsamic notes. On the palate the wine showed dark fruit, dark cherry, cocoa, leather, spices, vanilla and smoke, with great, fresh, medium-plus to high acidity, dry, medium-plus tannin and superb length. Full-bodied and intense, yet balanced. Kept improving in the glass. Still very young, with a long life ahead.
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5/7/2015 - d'Artagnan wrote: 93 Points
Dreamer no 2: Un nez moderne, coconut, un coté wild (un peu de volatile?)
Difficile de passer après les Bourgogne parfumés mais il s'en tire grâce à sa très belle texture, c'est frais et équilibré, savoureux, long et digeste. Un vin sauvage civilisé. Il perd quelques points pour le nez trop moderne à mon goût. 93 pts
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2/3/2015 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 95 Points
MWS Wine Tasting and Dinner (Restaurant De Burgemeester *, Linschoten, Netherlands): Much cleaner and more modern style than the 1989 it was paired with, marked difference, richer than the 1996, excellent intensity and length, hints of vanilla and spice, ripe but rich and fresh fruit, cloves, beef stew, powerful but beautifully balanced and elegant. A wonderful symphony of balance and power. Long life.
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1/9/2015 - the player Likes this wine: 96 Points
What a wine, will probably surpass the much praised 94. Early window of maturity but by no means there yet. Decanted and aerated for about 90 minutes and drank over another two hours. Opulence and finesse intermingled with complexity and power. Beautiful ruby color with slight bricking at the rim. Flabbergasting nose of ripe blackberries, blueberries, tinged with cocoa, cinnamon, jasmine, even cola and a bit of alcohol. This is a viscous dense wine with amazing legs, very complex and fat entry on the palate, multiple layers mid palate with all the different tones excellently balanced between black and blue fruits, spices, ripeness, intensity, backbone, acidity, like a flawless orchestra performing a Beethoven symphony. Outstanding long rich finish with silky tannins and mocha. I can only see this wine getting better and more complex. One of my favorite Vegas.
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6/1/2014 - ludwigbpm wrote: 97 Points
Sans notes
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1/6/2014 - Yagil wrote: 95 Points
Septet wine-lovers 1st meeting in 2014 (Makom shel Basar restaurant, Neveh Tsedek, TLV): dark red-brown color
excellent secondary & tertiary earthy fruity aromas
full body, silky tannins, savory flavors, optimal level of tannins & bitterness, balanced acidity, rich, opulence, complex, close to perfect, a real experience. Long aftertaste. A masterpiece of Ribera del Duero.
(after over two hours the wine started to fade out in the glass)
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11/23/2013 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
San Sebastian; 11/22/2013-11/24/2014 (San Sebastian, Spain): Decanted for 1 hour. Useful.
The nose on this wine is an OMG moment. In a way more Burgundian than Spanish. So elegant and complex, with good fruit, light spice, cinnamon, cloves at times. All in tune and full of expression. On the palate it is youthful and fresh, full of energy, good ripe fruit and balanced. Still on the early times in its drinking window and with a lot of future this was a superb wine. Beautiful and delicious. 95 now and can only get better.
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11/22/2013 - the player Likes this wine: 95 Points
This bottle thankfully confirmed the preceding bottle was just an aberration (see previous note). Decanted and aerated for about 4 hours, this wine was opulent on the nose with blackberries, blueberries, toffee, spice cake. blackish crimson color, fat almost glycerin like entry on the palate, full bodied and exploding with rich fruit mid palate, excellent backbone and acidity, complex finish with solid but velvety tannins, showing signs of what this wine will be like in 10 - 15 years. Good bottles of this Vega vintage never cease to amaze me. Some of my guests thought the wine to have too much power but that is exactly why I love this wine so much.
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11/8/2013 - the player Likes this wine:
Although this bottle as with previous bottles shone through an opulent nose of black berries, cherries, toffee, pain grille, the palate seemed disjointed even after a two hour wait in the decanter. Being a huge fan of this vintage, I will refrain from rating it hoping much of the blame falls on this being a bad bottle. To be continued!
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9/28/2013 - the player Likes this wine: 95 Points
Simply rich, opulent and delicious but this bottle had stronger tannins and a shorter finish than the last few bottles I've had of this Vega.
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7/20/2013 - the player Likes this wine: 96 Points
Absolutely stunning, can't wait to see how this wine evolves over next 20 years. Rich, opulent, perfumed and hedonistic to the bone, Vega Sicilian at it's best. Decant for 2-3 hours at least prior to drinking.
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7/2/2013 - the player Likes this wine: 95 Points
Again an outstanding and surprisingly very forward Vega. Brilliant nose of dark fruits, blueberries, jam, spices, pain grille, excellent on the palate very tactile and clear yet complex and a nice finish. Medium to full bodied, blackish ruby. What a treat.
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5/2/2013 - Barry Rothof wrote: 95 Points
Your Thoughts On ... Vega-Sicilia (Rotterdam): Superb mélange of dark fruit, pain grille and mushroom. On the palate it is delicate with lots of intensity and remarkably refined. With a very long, complex finish. A stellar wine and already very enjoyable!
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4/14/2013 - the player Likes this wine: 96 Points
The more I drink this vintage of VS Unico, the more partial I am to it. WOTN in a 5 Unico and 3 Riserva Especial (2009, 2010, and 2012 releases) vintage vertical. Similar to previous notes, everything there for this wine, nose, palate, body, structure, complexity, finish, and unabated pleasure.
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3/24/2013 - the player Likes this wine: 95 Points
First time tasting this vintage of VS Unico having previously had the 82,94,95,96,2000. Decanted and aerated for circa 2 hours and gobelled this beauty in about an hour with a good friend and aficionado. Truly an outstanding wine with amazing complexity and hedonistic to the bone. Deep crimson color with black core, viscous wine almost glycerin like, excellent nose of blackberries, blueberries, cola, spices, cocoa, Christmas cake all fully reflected on the palate starting with a fat lush entry, coating the mid palate with complex and layer upon layer of fruit, really evolved at this stage in terms of complexity so I can only eagerly anticipate how this wine will taste in 10 years. Medium to full bodied, this wine ends complex and long, super fine tannins, excellent structure, acidity and balance, wine-making at its very best.
Truly solidifies my admiration of Vega, along with other favorites Latour and Monfortino.
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12/18/2012 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 96 Points
95 POINT HOLIDAY DOUBLE BLIND DINNER @ Le Provencal; 12/18/2012-12/19/2012 (Le Provencal, Miracle Mile, Coral Gables,FL): - Purple color with slow forming legs. It's in total harmony with a medium/full body. Bright texture with a long finish - Luis' wine. He no longer cares for it. I Loved It. The first Unico I have liked. Rich opulent, I didn't think it was Tempranillo. My WOTN.
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6/4/2012 - mcases wrote: 94 Points
Very nice Unico. Still needs a couple of years but drinks great now.dark fruit and a little balsamic after two hours of decant. long and elegant.
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4/27/2012 - jamie24 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. A little reticent a first but improved throughout the evening. Still some room for the tannins to soften and I suspect this wine will warrant a higher score in 5 years. But still a top quality wine... almost bordeaux like in style. Earthy. Black cherries. Good length finish. Excellent.
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3/15/2012 - Yagil wrote: 96 Points
Vega-Sicilia evening (Regav @ Hall of Man restaurant): dark red-brown color
excellent secondary & tertiary earthy fruity aromas
full body, silky tannins, savory flavors, optimal level of tannins & bitterness, balanced acidity, rich, opulence, complex, close to perfect, a real experience. Long aftertaste. A masterpiece of Ribera del Duero.
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12/26/2011 - psmith wrote: 93 Points
Dense fruit - almost Cabernet like in its full, dark fruit-driven nose. More earthy on the palate. Big, but with a sour cherry and brick oven note. Delicious.
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11/5/2011 - pmravens wrote: 92 Points
Blind versus Cali Cabs, Super Tuscans and Bordeaux. Out of the gate, really nice with a core of "old fruit" that I have come to associate with Riberas and some older Riojas. Over time, in comparison to the other wines, I found it a little bit unstructured and candied.
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10/15/2011 - TexasBob wrote: 91 Points
Black-red color. Stewed plums on the nose. Dark black fruits with strong tannic structure. Drunk with Stash in the early AM.
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10/1/2011 - kingkanu wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for 4 hours. Still looking very youthful, deep and vibrant purple. Secondary notes on the nose, leather funkiness with dark berries, the palate is far more primary, mouth filling and delicious, each sip delivers another facet, wonderful length, it's the kind of wine you just need to keep smelling, evocative and captivating, still needs a lot more time, I'd love to come back to this in 10 years time.
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7/25/2011 - Figaro wrote: 95 Points
Vinho excepcional. Mesmo depois de 13 anos uma criança. Possui um estilo bastante bordalês.
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6/14/2011 - mdobro wrote: 94 Points
BRE tasting (Regina): magnum bottle
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4/10/2011 - slamhk wrote: 98 Points
A stunner! Extremely concentrated, explosive berry and a complexity that last 60+ sec.
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3/5/2011 - ahubner wrote: 94 Points
Drunk it with grilled cheese, It needs to breathe before drinking. It is still young and can wait a few more years.
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2/28/2011 - acheng wrote: 95 Points
Star of the night. Captivating spicy, barnyard, gamy and intriguing. Great acidity and structure. Not as interesting on second pour.
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12/20/2010 - igaf wrote:
Warm, complex, velvety, at times ethereal nose with sous bois and dark berries. Full, very rich and balanced on the palate, very tasty with just enough acidity, moderate oriental spiciness, ripe cherries. Very long, beautifully juicy aftertaste. Great wine, I believe will only get better for years.
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8/25/2010 - espesqpa@gmail.com wrote: 97 Points
Very berry-like aroma that took time to open fully, taste was that like its boquet, a blackberry or bosenberry. very well balanced, extremely long finish, 60 seconds or more. Consumed ata tasting with the 68, 75, 80, 91, 96 and the nv especial. Ranked by all attending to be on a par with the 68 which was superb and still showingsome tannins at age 42.
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8/21/2010 - Doni.Bertolami wrote: 98 Points
What a great bottle of wine. Complex expressive nose with lots of dark berries, minerals, spices, bitter almond, smoke, coffe, tobacco and forest honey. The palate is elegant with multiple levels and phases and a fantastic long finish. This wine has it all - fruit, earth, barrique and tertiary aromas are in perfect harmony. The unico 1998 is a drinking-adventure with the best yet to come.
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8/13/2010 - psmith wrote:
Characteristic, forward ripe dark fruits and sour cherry notes. Powerhouse wine. Really firm acidity on the finish. Nice.
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7/16/2010 - pakabear Likes this wine: 94 Points
Monster of a wine still, I would wait another 5-10 years on it, shows loads of promise but hard to get full enjoyment as of now.
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6/18/2010 - BullWine wrote: 92 Points
The New Age of Vega Sicilia. What we do expect? Closed on the nose. tight on the palate, need time, need a lot of time
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5/17/2010 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 92 Points
1998 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único (Spanje, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero) Kleur: Volrood Aroma / bouquet: Verfijnd bouquet, chique, peper, vleesbouillon, menthol / mint, cocos en cederhout. Smaak / Afdronk: Krachtige aanzet, flink nadrukkelijke zuren, nadrukkelijk aanwezige tannines, veel lengte. Algemeen / potentieel: Klassieke powerwijn. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 15 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 92/100
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4/20/2010 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
This is a beauty! Sweet start and an enormous concentration. Good acidity and youthful red fruits. Complex and elegant. Great length. Ready now, but this can last for many more years.
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4/20/2010 - mwanasheria wrote: 94 Points
Very tannic and backward. Tobacco, smoke, black and red fruit.
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12/20/2009 - SoCal wrote:
Slight bricking on the rim with a sold core of dark purple. Initially the nose had a very savory bold aroma of dried meat, bacon and smoke. The palate was also very carnivorous and dry with leather, earth, spicy wood, and a streak creamy oak on the finish. This wine was extremely layered and complex. It continued to shift in the glass as I consumed it. Revealing new elements and dimensions with each sip. Toward the end it began to take on a forest floor quality to it and reminded me of a wonderfully aged Margaux. Taking notes on this wine was so easy because the flavors were so pure and distinct. Overall a superb wine that has levels of depth that are not present in 99% of other bottles.
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10/20/2009 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Thirty vintages of Vega Sicilia Único 1953-1999; 10/20/2009-10/21/2009 (Institute of Directors, London): Bags of vanilla/cocnut/mint on the nose from the oak, very plush. At the outset I found this very attractive, but not very distinctive, but after the other vintages the Unico character became much more apparent.
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10/15/2009 - Goldstone wrote: 95 Points
Super Spaniards (Top Deck, Jumbo Floating Restaurant, Aberdeen Marina, Hong Kong): Black and totally opaque in colour except purple translucent at the extreme edge. Gorgeous precise pencil lead nose that you fall headlong into like Alice down the rabbit hole giving into immense cassis and blackberries. Fantastic open sumptuous palate with definite Chinese medicine, Chinese red dates and fresh tobacco leaves. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Multiple-dimensional. Good vanilla pods as it unfolds. I'm falling into reveries. Huge length and great resonance in the back of the head. Volupturousness grows with time in the glass....just keeps on getting better......"Earth to Goldstone, hello?".
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10/12/2009 - PatrikO wrote: 96 Points
A stunner, stood out in Saturday's blind tasting among other top Spanish names. The nose gave this wine a way with its intense and complex dark fruit aromas. Very young in character, felt like a 5yr wine, this can only get better and will warrant a higher score down the line.
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8/21/2009 - profiler54 wrote: 99 Points
Decanted for 3 hours and served at 68F. Dense, rich, structured, complex, lush and velvety. Old world earthy dark ripe fruit, tobacco, smoke, vanilla, coffee, bacon, and spices and minerals. Very nuanced wine built for a long haul.. Oh what a finish!!! loved this wine ...
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7/31/2009 - JHaslam wrote: 95 Points
Still young, at least another 7 years before I open another bottle. Excellent, big, full, complex, classic. Dark fruits abound.
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5/30/2009 - beezer6 wrote: 94 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Only got a drop or two of this from the very bottom of the bottle.
Beautiful deep rich extracted black fruit. Dark berries, scorched earth, tar and licorice dominate the nose.
The palate was super rich with a long finish. This is still a baby though.
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5/30/2009 - psmith wrote:
Very young - dark cassis and Cabernet-like fruit. Big, weighty, and full wine. Firm, grainy tannins. Classic styling. Very promising.
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4/15/2009 - rsepulve wrote: 96 Points
Wow, what a wine! Dense, rich, structured, complex, lush and velvety. The nose is so expressive you want to sit with the glass all night taking it in and exploring the myriad of aromas: dark, ripe fruit, tobacco, smoke, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, spices and fresh cut flowers. Professional reviews often compare to Unico to Haut Brion and I agree except that Unico usually has an exotic quality that I absolutely love and this one is no exception. Still too young so I say 96 today maybe 98-99 in another 10+ years.
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1/29/2009 - rob1869 wrote:
Icon Wines Of Spain (WSET, London): Black core, ruby rim. Slightly muted nose of black fruits, light liquorice, dusty coffee, dark chocolate. Intense palate, dry smooth tannin. Long.
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9/11/2008 - Vinho wrote: 93 Points
Vega-Sicilia (A Figueira Rubaiyat): Vinho #06. Provado às cegas. Rubi com traços violáceos, halo aquoso, lágrimas numerosas. Parece mais novo e mais macio que o #07 [errado]. Madeira aparente, porém de boa qualidade, taninos macios e média acidez, sem peso. Elegante, lembra Velho Mundo num viés moderno. Estilo diferente dos demais, textura muito sedosa, taninos redondos, meio de boca não muito intenso, ligeiro, porém com boa profundidade. 93+pts. E. Meu palpite: curinga levado pelo M.
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