A touch of volatility gives the nose punch and lift. There are ripe berry fruits and sweet vanillin spice. It is very complex and intense. Tannins are quite round yet supportive. It has great presence and persistence.
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Vega Sicilia Unico Vertical: 10x Vega Sicilia Unico (1985-2006). 7 vintages of Gran Reserva, 3x Reserva Especial. A few conclusions: A) The quality was high in all bottles. Increased complexity and precision, a fine structural framework with silky tannins, pronounced acidity and very good balance. B) The family resemblance across all bottles is high. Unico has a strong and unique DNA with the freshness and tension of a good Bordeaux combined with the softness and silkiness of Tempranillo and a unique flavor profile with lots of fresh blueberries, garrigue, bacon and gentle coffee notes. C) Maturity was well controlled, even in hot years. No hint of over-ripeness. D) The wines are meant to age and certainly need almost 20 years before reaching a first drinking window. The 30 year old bottles seemed young and only the 40 year old ones showed tertiary aromas. E) The quality was high across the board with no weak bottles, but the best wines were the tertiary 1985 (96pts), 1986 (97pts) and 1987 (95pts). The 2006 (95pts) is very promising.
TN; This bottle showed highly complex, with precise aromas of gingerbread, lots of pure red berries, some blue fruit, minerality, and lots of herbs. Ever expanding and changing. Finely melted structure with a good acidity backbone. Light and airy. This vintage was different than all the others with the strong gingerbread component. Quite amazing.
Decanting: A quick double decant, then the wine rested back in the bottle without cork for roughly five to six hours. No extensive decanting needed.
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Unico is always a special experience. This was no different, the wine for me was overshadowed by the 2000 Redigaffi in terms of sheer power at the end of the evening but for some others, this was the highlight of the night. This is a Unico more refinement and finesse than pure power. This will drink well for years to come. No hurry and best to let it decant at least an hour or slow ox over several.
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Dinner at Bellyhappychef: Took a while to get going, but when it did it was the wine of the night for me, just ahead of the Dominus. Wonderfully fresh still for a supposedly weaker vintage, some leather and cigar box as all the American oak had been wonderfully integrated. A hint of salinity on the finish.
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Still a fairly tight package, tar, hints of smoke and citrus, presence of wood, sweet mouthfeel from fruit, not sugar, more about (still developing) good structure than big size, classy wine, one of my favourites in the vertical.
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94/100 A reserved fruity black currants, mature plum and cherry nose that presents further with spicy wood, forest floor, lavender, leather and stone. The elegant palate has soft tannins left mixing with friendly dark red fruit, leaves of tobacco and cedar.
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Super Bowl (Chicago, IL): Nose: The nose is deep and soaring as it fills the glass with black cherries, tobacco, raspberries, sour red fruits, spice tones, licorice, smoke, cedar, and loads of savory notes. It takes a bit to take everything in and easy to get completely lost in the glass.
Taste: The feel is full bodied with tart, medium+ acidity and resolved, medium tannins. The feel is refined, mature, and impeccably balanced with black cherries, raspberries, sour red fruits, tobacco, licorice, violets, cedar, and smoke notes.
Overall: This was a truly spectacular wine. A little was poured off and it was given air in the bottle for about an hour. It kept building in the glass and adding in more layers while keeping a savory quality that was irresistible.
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Dette er stor vin. Mørke bær, hengt kjøtt og spice. Noe svakt floralt som svever over det hele. Stor dybde. Ultra-ren vin med voldsom konsentrasjon. Enda ungdommelig og kommer til å levere ekstase i flere tiår fremover. Vakker vin. Dupper aldri kurven. Strammer seg opp i utgangen. Meget lang presis finish. Bestemte finkornede tanniner. Stor stas. 95p+ Knall match til storfugl med portvinsreduksjon.
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L88. Allowed 4 hours of aeration before serving. Deep violet. Classy bouquet with layers of berries. Full-weight body in an elegant form. Vivid acidity. A very good vintage VS, but short of unforgettable sparks to be a legend.
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Great wine in the making. Needs time as it just has not developed the nuance and complexity (yet) that these wines are capable of. Having said that this wine has the structure and stuffing to be 95-96 potential. Lots of structure and somewhat tight tonight. Just needs to unwind.
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While without significant secondaries to this point, this wine clearly shows its potential. Young and pristine dark red and black fruit. An initial steeliness to the nose cleaned up with air time. 94+
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Celebration dinner (Heirloom cafe): Double decanted with only a small amount of sediment well settled to the bottom. Medium ruby-garnet with appropriate bricking; nose is moderately aromatic with red fruit, cherry, slight spice, some coffee grounds; palate is medium bodied with good density throughout the midpalate, medium acidity, smooth and polished texture, fully integrated tannins, well integrated red fruits; medium finish. Well balanced, without a hair out of place, and easy to drink, but also at this moment lacks a certain complexity and excitement that I expected. It tastes simultaneously both young (in quality of its fruit) and also at peak (in its structure and balance). I'm curious what a few hours of air will do to this wine. 90-92 now. A few hours of air: lovely growth with air with still seamless balance, plenty of black fruit, spice, medium finish.
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Unico tasting (27 different vintages) at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2017: clear ruby colour; aromas like tar, smoke, blackberry, raspberry and cherry in nose and mouth; light/medium body with round texture; the wine finished short.
Vintages 1st flight: 1972-1980-1985-1987-1989
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Vega Sicilia Unico Dinner with Pablo Alvarez (Betony): 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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There’s big smoky lift to the aroma with plenty of tobacco and tar showing along with cured meats, leather and black cherry fruit. It is super intense in the mouth and has a glossy, polished feel. It has serious grunt with awesome depth and it is crying out for more cellar time. Come back in a decade or two.
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Tasted alongside the 81. Very similar in profile with the earth, forest leaves, and leather. However palate had more residual sweet black fruit and a bit more weight. No risk of decline but at peak for my tastes.
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Fête d'Éric M. au Gepetto... Un nez subtil et envoûtant de mine de crayon, avec un peu de polish remover (la volatile), cuir et prunes. Bouche est d'une bonne acidité, avec un bel équilibre, c'est un vin excellent, mais pas très complexe il m'a semblé. Pas le wow attendu. 91 pts
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Very elegant nose, almost burgundian, but still with some of the typical Spanish ink. Some mushrooms and forest floor as well. Medium body, again very elegant mouthfeel with refined finely grained tannins, almost melted away. Very nice now!
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Naso espressivo ed ampio, frutto rosso succoso e dolce, macchia mediterranea, spezie dolci, qualcosa di terroso e minerale. Bocca avvolgente, succosa, ampia e fresca. Molto lungo e saporito. (Alla cieca scambiato per un gran sangiovese).
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Stunning wine, drank with some very knowedge-able wine friend. We drank next to a 1959 Unico - a memorable experience. The wines were remarkably similar, the 59 still youthful and full of fruit. With the 59 as a guide, this wine will only get better with age.
Other wines for the night were - 85 Heitz Martha's, 87 Grace Family, 98 Bryant.
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[Tasted Blind] Undeniably silky, smooth, incisive, bright red fruit, wood, tobacco. A bit restrained on the nose but a riot in the mouth; musky, sexy old wood, sappy, perfume, intense fruit. Wow!!!
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A bit of varnish on the nose mars an otherwise outstanding wine. Powerful, young, vibrant, with sweet fruit, seamless acidity, and a silky mouthfeel that is utterly seductive. Fabulous wine, the sort of juice I'd drink every day if I were a billionaire.
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Very complex nose of meat, graphite, blackberry and liquorice. In the mouth, you can fill the ripeness and the sun, but earthy hints, and evolution provide great balance to the fruit and the spice. FInale is long. Wine is at maturity, and not yet over the top. Decanted for ~1 hour. Tasted side by side with 1987
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Molto buon ma decisamente peggiore dell'altra bevuta. Al naso carne e sangue, e poi evolve su note tabaccose di sottobosco. La bocca è dritta ma cortina.
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HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): Some signs of bricking. Wow. What an incredible nose. Lots of stewed red berries, white pepper, and a huge amount of earthiness to boot; if it weren't so Spanish you could almost call this Burgundian. The nose is incredible enough to distract from the actual desire to drink this. Liqueur-like in its richness, there is an incredible, painful amount of concentration. Notes of spice, red and black berries, earthy funk, and just the right balance of fruity sweetness to go with the acidity. Tannins are starting to resolve, and this has the stuffing for quite a haul still; there are no signs of this drying out anytime soon. There's a little bit of rust on the finish, which is medium length, and constantly reminds you of the acidity here. Somehow, this is simultaneously cerebral and hedonistic. How they do it, I've no clue. Served with maple-glazed bacon and sage cream.
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Molto presente e ricco al naso, giovanissimo sotto tutti gli aspetti, al naso mirto e altra macchia mediterranea soprattutto ma poi muta e diventa molto complesso, sul minerale e marino. La bocca è vivissima, ampia e presente
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Very nicely balanced. Beautiful fruit, mainly plums and dark berries, and well integrated tannins. It is drinking very well now. Probably the best wine I have had this year.
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Drank the 85, 86, 87, and 80 (mag) Unico over pre-dinner and dinner. Notes in order drunk. 86: Great bottle, the most hedonistic of the group. Lovely nose, great shape. 85: A touch of funk, quickly blew off. More complex and sophisticated. Great. 87: Still a fresh baby. Lots of energy, less complex. 80(mag): Good, but for me less interesting than the others. A couple folks loved it.
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A fair amount of funk on the nose and the palate, but still a great Unico. Not as fresh of a profile as in typical years, but an interesting change up. Will enjoy trying this again.
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This a gorgeous bottle of wine. Everything that a V-S should be. My notes would be virtually identical to Lorien's. The most beautiful transluscent ruby red. Increadibly sauve and concentrated flavor for such a light color. Mature red fruit with great complexity and a hint of smoke. Frais de bois. Incredibly smooth and long with perfectly integrated tannis. Virtually weightless on the palate. it just doesn't get much better than this. If extended barrel aging is what it takes to get harmony such as this between CS and indigenous varietals, then more producers in Spain and Italy should take heed. Flat out fabulous but actually not the best vintage of V-S that I have had. A little softer and more elegant than greater vintages such as '62, 70 or '90. Marked down accordingly due to tough comps.
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Ruby red with clear fading around the rim. Intense and incredibly appealing aromas of plums, resins and chocolate. Truly great aromas! Full body with lovely concentration, providing marvelous flavors of prunes, ripe grapes, black ripe wild fruits and more. Perfect balance and structure – a true work of art actually. Integrated and soft tannins, slick acidity and lovely tasty toasted oak. Big finish providing a solid aftertaste. Overall this is a very good wine, loaded with personality, that provides power within an elegant and sophisticated structure. With that said, I expect nothing less from Vega Sicilia’s best, but probably even more. Should cellar very nicely for many more years.
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4/17/2024 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
A touch of volatility gives the nose punch and lift. There are ripe berry fruits and sweet vanillin spice. It is very complex and intense. Tannins are quite round yet supportive. It has great presence and persistence.
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9/11/2023 - Cailles wrote: 96 Points
Vega Sicilia Unico Vertical: 10x Vega Sicilia Unico (1985-2006). 7 vintages of Gran Reserva, 3x Reserva Especial. A few conclusions: A) The quality was high in all bottles. Increased complexity and precision, a fine structural framework with silky tannins, pronounced acidity and very good balance. B) The family resemblance across all bottles is high. Unico has a strong and unique DNA with the freshness and tension of a good Bordeaux combined with the softness and silkiness of Tempranillo and a unique flavor profile with lots of fresh blueberries, garrigue, bacon and gentle coffee notes. C) Maturity was well controlled, even in hot years. No hint of over-ripeness. D) The wines are meant to age and certainly need almost 20 years before reaching a first drinking window. The 30 year old bottles seemed young and only the 40 year old ones showed tertiary aromas. E) The quality was high across the board with no weak bottles, but the best wines were the tertiary 1985 (96pts), 1986 (97pts) and 1987 (95pts). The 2006 (95pts) is very promising.
TN; This bottle showed highly complex, with precise aromas of gingerbread, lots of pure red berries, some blue fruit, minerality, and lots of herbs. Ever expanding and changing. Finely melted structure with a good acidity backbone. Light and airy. This vintage was different than all the others with the strong gingerbread component. Quite amazing.
Decanting: A quick double decant, then the wine rested back in the bottle without cork for roughly five to six hours. No extensive decanting needed.
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9/6/2022 - beatles wrote: 95 Points
Sweet spice and tobacco here, smooth. smokey, everything is coming together.
#El Cellar de Can Rocca #JubileTasting
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2/26/2022 - Dibbs Likes this wine: 96 Points
Unico is always a special experience. This was no different, the wine for me was overshadowed by the 2000 Redigaffi in terms of sheer power at the end of the evening but for some others, this was the highlight of the night. This is a Unico more refinement and finesse than pure power. This will drink well for years to come. No hurry and best to let it decant at least an hour or slow ox over several.
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2/25/2022 - melvinyeowq Likes this wine:
Dinner at Bellyhappychef: Took a while to get going, but when it did it was the wine of the night for me, just ahead of the Dominus. Wonderfully fresh still for a supposedly weaker vintage, some leather and cigar box as all the American oak had been wonderfully integrated. A hint of salinity on the finish.
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10/17/2020 - Lype Likes this wine:
Still a fairly tight package, tar, hints of smoke and citrus, presence of wood, sweet mouthfeel from fruit, not sugar, more about (still developing) good structure than big size, classy wine, one of my favourites in the vertical.
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5/20/2020 - Johwab407 Likes this wine: 94 Points
94/100 A reserved fruity black currants, mature plum and cherry nose that presents further with spicy wood, forest floor, lavender, leather and stone. The elegant palate has soft tannins left mixing with friendly dark red fruit, leaves of tobacco and cedar.
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2/19/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 97 Points
Vega Sicilia Unico Vertical 1953-1994 (Hosted by Cedric at Eleven Madison Park): Ripe and rich. A big wine that still feels incredibly young at age 35. Superfine tannins. Dense dark blackberry fruit and black tea. This needs many more years to reach its peak and is absolutely delicious.
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2/2/2020 - KeithAkers wrote: 97 Points
Super Bowl (Chicago, IL): Nose: The nose is deep and soaring as it fills the glass with black cherries, tobacco, raspberries, sour red fruits, spice tones, licorice, smoke, cedar, and loads of savory notes. It takes a bit to take everything in and easy to get completely lost in the glass.
Taste: The feel is full bodied with tart, medium+ acidity and resolved, medium tannins. The feel is refined, mature, and impeccably balanced with black cherries, raspberries, sour red fruits, tobacco, licorice, violets, cedar, and smoke notes.
Overall: This was a truly spectacular wine. A little was poured off and it was given air in the bottle for about an hour. It kept building in the glass and adding in more layers while keeping a savory quality that was irresistible.
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9/16/2019 - Burgnick wrote:
Did not have enough time in the decanter. Nose showed chocolate, dark fruit, cedar, smoke and cassis. The layers were not able to fully unfold.
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1/27/2019 - BradE wrote:
Two bottles, again both in the good vs great camp.
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11/2/2018 - hajoha wrote: 95 Points
Dette er stor vin.
Mørke bær, hengt kjøtt og spice.
Noe svakt floralt som svever over det hele.
Stor dybde.
Ultra-ren vin med voldsom konsentrasjon.
Enda ungdommelig og kommer til å levere ekstase i flere tiår fremover.
Vakker vin.
Dupper aldri kurven.
Strammer seg opp i utgangen.
Meget lang presis finish.
Bestemte finkornede tanniner.
Stor stas. 95p+
Knall match til storfugl med portvinsreduksjon.
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3/22/2018 - burgburgburg wrote: 93 Points
L88. Allowed 4 hours of aeration before serving. Deep violet. Classy bouquet with layers of berries. Full-weight body in an elegant form. Vivid acidity. A very good vintage VS, but short of unforgettable sparks to be a legend.
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8/31/2017 - etyc Likes this wine:
SL's dinner @ JP.
This was very good - with leather, tea-leaves, tobacco, smoky bacon scents. Tannins has resolved, with dark-red fruits and spice. Very nice!
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8/30/2017 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great wine in the making. Needs time as it just has not developed the nuance and complexity (yet) that these wines are capable of. Having said that this wine has the structure and stuffing to be 95-96 potential. Lots of structure and somewhat tight tonight. Just needs to unwind.
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8/29/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
While without significant secondaries to this point, this wine clearly shows its potential. Young and pristine dark red and black fruit. An initial steeliness to the nose cleaned up with air time. 94+
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5/30/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
Celebration dinner (Heirloom cafe): Double decanted with only a small amount of sediment well settled to the bottom. Medium ruby-garnet with appropriate bricking; nose is moderately aromatic with red fruit, cherry, slight spice, some coffee grounds; palate is medium bodied with good density throughout the midpalate, medium acidity, smooth and polished texture, fully integrated tannins, well integrated red fruits; medium finish. Well balanced, without a hair out of place, and easy to drink, but also at this moment lacks a certain complexity and excitement that I expected. It tastes simultaneously both young (in quality of its fruit) and also at peak (in its structure and balance). I'm curious what a few hours of air will do to this wine. 90-92 now.
A few hours of air: lovely growth with air with still seamless balance, plenty of black fruit, spice, medium finish.
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2/24/2017 - Fatty Cat Likes this wine: 94 Points
Unico tasting (27 different vintages) at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2017: clear ruby colour; aromas like tar, smoke, blackberry, raspberry and cherry in nose and mouth; light/medium body with round texture; the wine finished short.
Vintages 1st flight: 1972-1980-1985-1987-1989
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11/26/2016 - Axelpeter wrote: 97 Points
19-20 (Schm MöglB ), "irrisierende Süße", leichter Karamelton, Frucht+Säure voll da.....,einfach toll
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10/19/2016 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 92 Points
Vega Sicilia Unico Dinner with Pablo Alvarez (Betony): 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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10/7/2016 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
There’s big smoky lift to the aroma with plenty of tobacco and tar showing along with cured meats, leather and black cherry fruit. It is super intense in the mouth and has a glossy, polished feel. It has serious grunt with awesome depth and it is crying out for more cellar time. Come back in a decade or two.
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1/3/2016 - FYC wrote:
Tasted alongside the 81. Very similar in profile with the earth, forest leaves, and leather. However palate had more residual sweet black fruit and a bit more weight. No risk of decline but at peak for my tastes.
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6/4/2015 - d'Artagnan wrote: 91 Points
Fête d'Éric M. au Gepetto...
Un nez subtil et envoûtant de mine de crayon, avec un peu de polish remover (la volatile), cuir et prunes. Bouche est d'une bonne acidité, avec un bel équilibre, c'est un vin excellent, mais pas très complexe il m'a semblé. Pas le wow attendu. 91 pts
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12/14/2014 - UTPK wrote:
Very elegant nose, almost burgundian, but still with some of the typical Spanish ink. Some mushrooms and forest floor as well. Medium body, again very elegant mouthfeel with refined finely grained tannins, almost melted away. Very nice now!
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12/9/2013 - Venexian wrote: 94 Points
Naso espressivo ed ampio, frutto rosso succoso e dolce, macchia mediterranea, spezie dolci, qualcosa di terroso e minerale. Bocca avvolgente, succosa, ampia e fresca. Molto lungo e saporito. (Alla cieca scambiato per un gran sangiovese).
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4/18/2012 - lepetitchateau wrote: 88 Points
Plausible but not exciting.
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3/15/2012 - vumansky wrote: 97 Points
Bring Your Special Bottle Night (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): A top 3 for the group. Red/purple, deep color. Vibrant, lively nose and palate. Silky smooth in the mouth. Long finish. Brilliant wine drinking beautifully.
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3/9/2012 - walkerjfw wrote: 96 Points
Stunning wine, drank with some very knowedge-able wine friend. We drank next to a 1959 Unico - a memorable experience. The wines were remarkably similar, the 59 still youthful and full of fruit. With the 59 as a guide, this wine will only get better with age.
Other wines for the night were - 85 Heitz Martha's, 87 Grace Family, 98 Bryant.
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10/10/2011 - andtheodor wrote: 95 Points
[Tasted Blind] Undeniably silky, smooth, incisive, bright red fruit, wood, tobacco. A bit restrained on the nose but a riot in the mouth; musky, sexy old wood, sappy, perfume, intense fruit. Wow!!!
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9/28/2011 - robmatic wrote: 95 Points
A bit of varnish on the nose mars an otherwise outstanding wine. Powerful, young, vibrant, with sweet fruit, seamless acidity, and a silky mouthfeel that is utterly seductive. Fabulous wine, the sort of juice I'd drink every day if I were a billionaire.
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9/16/2011 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
Districts and Producers in Spain (My House): Plums and mushroom, dark berries, concentrated and structured, very long. Still has potential.
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8/9/2011 - CamWheeler wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with Tim Kirk: Cherry, plum, chocolate and earthy aromas. Palate is savory and restrained - with great finesse and class. Excellent length.
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6/26/2011 - jpijg wrote: 93 Points
Very complex nose of meat, graphite, blackberry and liquorice. In the mouth, you can fill the ripeness and the sun, but earthy hints, and evolution provide great balance to the fruit and the spice.
FInale is long. Wine is at maturity, and not yet over the top.
Decanted for ~1 hour. Tasted side by side with 1987
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5/8/2011 - Jossik wrote: 91 Points
Molto buon ma decisamente peggiore dell'altra bevuta. Al naso carne e sangue, e poi evolve su note tabaccose di sottobosco. La bocca è dritta ma cortina.
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5/6/2011 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): Some signs of bricking. Wow. What an incredible nose. Lots of stewed red berries, white pepper, and a huge amount of earthiness to boot; if it weren't so Spanish you could almost call this Burgundian. The nose is incredible enough to distract from the actual desire to drink this. Liqueur-like in its richness, there is an incredible, painful amount of concentration. Notes of spice, red and black berries, earthy funk, and just the right balance of fruity sweetness to go with the acidity. Tannins are starting to resolve, and this has the stuffing for quite a haul still; there are no signs of this drying out anytime soon. There's a little bit of rust on the finish, which is medium length, and constantly reminds you of the acidity here. Somehow, this is simultaneously cerebral and hedonistic. How they do it, I've no clue. Served with maple-glazed bacon and sage cream.
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5/2/2011 - noppakit s. wrote: 91 Points
This is classic wine, like drinking old bottle of Latour or Lafite and I prefer this bottle than Pingus 1999. (drinking together)
Drink now - 2017...........91-93/100.............
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6/15/2010 - Jossik wrote: 95 Points
Molto presente e ricco al naso, giovanissimo sotto tutti gli aspetti, al naso mirto e altra macchia mediterranea soprattutto ma poi muta e diventa molto complesso, sul minerale e marino. La bocca è vivissima, ampia e presente
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11/19/2009 - Putte wrote: 94 Points
Very nicely balanced. Beautiful fruit, mainly plums and dark berries, and well integrated tannins. It is drinking very well now. Probably the best wine I have had this year.
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10/21/2009 - Rupert wrote: 94 Points
Thirty vintages of Vega Sicilia Único 1953-1999; 10/20/2009-10/21/2009 (Institute of Directors, London): Deep cherry fruit, bright, gorgeously fragrant, very spicy - pure, direct and refined - very lovely.
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10/8/2009 - BradE wrote:
Great wine. Doesn't have much of a nose, but brilliant on the palate.
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8/14/2008 - BradE wrote:
Drank the 85, 86, 87, and 80 (mag) Unico over pre-dinner and dinner. Notes in order drunk.
86: Great bottle, the most hedonistic of the group. Lovely nose, great shape.
85: A touch of funk, quickly blew off. More complex and sophisticated. Great.
87: Still a fresh baby. Lots of energy, less complex.
80(mag): Good, but for me less interesting than the others. A couple folks loved it.
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12/25/2007 - BradE wrote:
A fair amount of funk on the nose and the palate, but still a great Unico. Not as fresh of a profile as in typical years, but an interesting change up. Will enjoy trying this again.
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10/23/2006 - Chateaunewf wrote: 95 Points
This a gorgeous bottle of wine. Everything that a V-S should be. My notes would be virtually identical to Lorien's. The most beautiful transluscent ruby red. Increadibly sauve and concentrated flavor for such a light color. Mature red fruit with great complexity and a hint of smoke. Frais de bois. Incredibly smooth and long with perfectly integrated tannis. Virtually weightless on the palate. it just doesn't get much better than this. If extended barrel aging is what it takes to get harmony such as this between CS and indigenous varietals, then more producers in Spain and Italy should take heed. Flat out fabulous but actually not the best vintage of V-S that I have had. A little softer and more elegant than greater vintages such as '62, 70 or '90. Marked down accordingly due to tough comps.
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6/24/2006 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Full red. Tight acidic nose of black fruit. Rich unctuous almost jammy black fruit with chocolate notes. A bit canned?
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5/21/2004 - Lorien wrote: 95 Points
Ruby red with clear fading around the rim. Intense and incredibly appealing aromas of plums, resins and chocolate. Truly great aromas! Full body with lovely concentration, providing marvelous flavors of prunes, ripe grapes, black ripe wild fruits and more. Perfect balance and structure – a true work of art actually. Integrated and soft tannins, slick acidity and lovely tasty toasted oak. Big finish providing a solid aftertaste. Overall this is a very good wine, loaded with personality, that provides power within an elegant and sophisticated structure. With that said, I expect nothing less from Vega Sicilia’s best, but probably even more. Should cellar very nicely for many more years.
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