An Evening of Vega Sicilia Unico.
Post House.
Tasted Thursday, November 9, 2006 by BradKNYC with 675 views
Introduction
International playboy and man of mystery Jonathan Dinh was in our fair city again to follow-up on a good idea he had during his last visit. It the midst of a rather lackluster Super Tuscan dinner in September, (his not so good idea) he proposed a Vega Sicilia Unico dinner. "Ah, I thought. He does have some sense, let alone taste, after all." A few of us at that end of the table jumped on the idea and this past Thursday night, eight Vega loving fans gathered at the Post House for a night of corkage free Unico with gigantic(the size of your head) hunks of prime aged rib eyes.
Wines are in order tasted, though we probably could've done a better job with tasting order. A bunch of us wanted to go oldest to youngest, but a third of the way through our resident Vega expert decided we should start going by specific vintage based on style. I'm easy about these things and when it comes to Vega, as long as I'm drinking it, I'm happy.
A quick note about style, with the '94's and '95's, it seems like there was a clear change in style, with the wines much more fruit forward and with more of an oak presence. Perhaps this is simply because we were tasting the wines earlier than usual, that in and of itself is a change at the winery, but has the style been slightly modified? Any of the Spanish contingent or anyone else want to chime in?
1990 Bollinger Champagne R.D. Extra Brut
France, Champagne
My usual caveat that unripe Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with bubbles usually doesn't do much for me, but this was one top notch Champagne and much better than a bottle I had last December. A pale yellow color, as opposed to the golden color of the last one, with a fresh nose of biscuits, lightly baked apples with a hint of yellow citrus. Long and rich on the palate, with a very fine bead, but there's a good amount of acidity here. Nice toastiness with more of a yellow fruit profile, though the biscuit flavors dominate. Really suave and well-groomed. A.
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2004 Viñedos de Nieva Verdejo Rueda Blanco Nieva Pie Franco
Spain, Castilla y León, Rueda
After the Champagne, this didn't really measure up and I admit I didn't give it much attention with the lineup to follow, but, as Señor Wences would say, "S'okay? S'awright." NR.
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1970 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Blanco
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
Another caveat, I don't like oxidative-style whites, especially with a lot of oak. I've had this wine a few times and I just don't like it. It's a big, mouth-filling wine that's got bracing acidity and not much fruit unless one considers lavish American oak and butterscotch, fruit. Add some salted, roasted nuts into the mix. A C for me, but others really liked it.
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NV Bodegas Toro Albalá Es un Vino Viejisimo Solera de 1922
Spain, Andalucía, Montilla-Moriles
Dislike of oxidative style=dislike of dry sherry. Volatile acidity, roasted, salty nuts, high acidty, yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm sure someone will post that actually likes this stuff. NR.
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1960 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
An ephemeral wine. I apparently missed the really good showing in the first ten minutes as I left the wine in the glass. When I got to it, there wasn't much to the wine, though a little more air resuscitated it somewhat. Tart red fruit aromas and flavors with light caramelized notes and worn, old wooden banister. The cherry fruit has largely departed, but what's there does have a pretty, yet fragile character to it. Turns quite drying and earthy/leathery on the finish. Not much life left. Low B-.
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1970 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Always a treat to try and a real tour-de-force when it's on, luckily, this bottle was. Unfortunately, the wine wasn't decanted, so we really didn't get the wine's full impact. I did, however, leave the wine in my glass almost the entire evening and it kept getting better and better. It didn't have the intense liqueur-like raspberry fruit like the last bottle I had, rather it seemed almost Barolo-like with it's red cherry, cement dust, earth and cedar notes, though it showed more of a meat note than I usually get in Barolo. Still going strong on the palate. Youthful structure with elemental complexity that showed similarly to the aroma profile. Gorgeous. A+.
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1987 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
I've always liked the '87 as it has a lot of personality. It's not a suave wine, but is a bit rambunctious and testy with its tart cranberry and cherry fruit and high acidity. The acidity keeps the wine young and fresh, but it's showing some complexity on the palate by means of tea bag, leather and citrus flavors. Not one I'd want to sip by itself, but it sings with medium-rare rib eye. A-.
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1995 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
A completely different animal from any Vega I've tried before. Really dark in color with more of an oak presence on the nose and palate, though it's not overburdened. Lots of ripe berry and black cherry fruit. In fact, that's the dominating character. Very primary with big structure. Tannins are ripe. All about potential now, though I believe it will turn out well. It was kind of like drinking a well-made and balanced California Cabernet in some ways, albeit a spicy one. A-.
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1994 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Big, big, big! Boy, does this wine make an impression. Nothing like a punch in the forehead to get your attention. Big aromas and big flavors dominated by really rich, yet not roasted black fruit. There's lovely sweetness to the fruit and then the strong iron streak hits you with a touch of licorice. Brutish, yet ripe tannins are a little oppressive, but it's a young wine. It is inherently balanced, so one need not worry. Great stuff, but better off losing your bottles in the cellar for a long time. A+/A.
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1989 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Hmmm. This bottle isn't quite showing like the last one I had which was pretty rich, well-fruited with good promise. There's still ripe black fruit here, but it quickly turned tutti frutti-like. A touch of cocoa, but it soon developed herbal flavors which weren't there last time. It's a bit muddled on the palate. Fairly lifeless, yet also a little racy with a touch of sluttiness. Not in the best place right now. Needs a little of Professor Henry Higgin's help to turn it into a refined beauty. The material is there, the wine just doesn't know what to do with itself at this time. B+/B.
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1986 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Like the '89, the '86 showed quite differently than the last time I had it where I found it to be fairly pure and clean. This one started of showing a wild animal side with lots of game flavors and aromas (in a good way) to go with the elegant cherry fruit and spicy cedar. Well balanced with higher acid levels than a number of the wines tonight. With air some of the gaminess gave way to a more refined perfumey character, though it still reminded me of Katarina Witt with a touch of 1976 East German swimmer in her. A-.
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1981 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Always a great showing for this wine. What really separates this wine from others is the combination of perfect, silky balance with a ton of stuffing. There's a lot going on here. Plenty of fruit, cedar, spice, game, dried herbs. Great depth and even though there's a bunch of structure here, somehow it comes off elegantly. It always reminds me a bit of the '91 Chave with it's balance, though it's not as soft as the Chave. Drinks great now and has for sometime, but can certainly age a lot longer. One of the best Vegas out there. A+/A.
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1999 Château d'Yquem
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Shows a lot of VA on the nose with butterscotch, pineapple and a strong banana character. Sweet and thick on the palate with pleasant pineapple, honey and butterscotch flavors. Not too oaky, but it could use some more acidity. Well made and tasty, but lacks personality and verve. Imo, Sauternes always suffers when served alongside Chenin Blanc or Riesling-based dessert wines due to the differences in acid levels and the use of oak. Low A-. From 375.
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1983 Château Gilette Crème de Tête
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Not much on the nose. A little skunky on the palate initially. Some apricot and pineapple flavors do come out, but there isn't much going on with this wine. Lean and not showing a lot of sweetness. Just kind of there on the palate. A bad bottle? B/B-. From 375.
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1997 François Pinon Vouvray Cuvée Botrytis Limited Release
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
I'm down to only one or two bottles of this elixir. It's turned a deep gold color over the past 8 years, but it's oh so vibrant. Extremely aromatic with intense ripe apricots. On the palate it's unctuous, incredibly sweet yet balanced wonderfully by acidity. It's neat to see the acidity of a lot of '97 Loire sweeties emerging over the past couple of years now that much of the baby fat has been shed. That said, however, I've always felt that Vouvray was the most balanced region in the Loire to begin with. Super ripe apricot, mineral and apple flavors with just a hint of the bergamot that should develop further with age. A.
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