8 hour decant. What a monster. Overwhelming blackberries is the first aroma that meets your nose. In the mouth it is blackberries, cherries, cedar, vanilla and chocolate. You feel plenty of tannins but they are just so agreeable and smooth. Thick viscosity and a very long aftertaste. No wonder the prices are soaring on these Vega's but they are worth it. Can’t wait till the 2006 becomes fully mature.
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The wine showed good balance between mid-level alcohol concentration and mild tannins as well as mid acidity. It was pleasant to drink, but did leave a powerful note.
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Sweet vanilla oak, but far more integrated than the 09 served alongside. Deep and intense, some black cherry, cedar wood, hints of caramel and vanilla. Integration is the key, but it still needs 10 years. Not a crime to open but it isn’t near peak today.
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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: Intoxicating nose with fine dark fruit, coffee beans, roasted aromas, some fine herbs and earthy notes. Sweet dark berries. On the palate very fresh, very gentle and round, no excess weight. Fine sweet blueberry and casis notes, fine coffee notes, all balanced by an earthy minerality component. The tannins are soft, the wine is round and silky but with very good tension and freshness often missing in Tempranillos. Others found it a tad wild at first but I loved it right from the start, even though the oak is not yet fully integrated.
Decanting: A quick double decant, then the wine rested back in the bottle without cork for roughly five to six hours. Good from the go but it could have even used one or the other additional hour in a decanter.
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From 75cl, cork not seen, decanted 3 hours. An odd bottle, with a distinct scent of wet cardboard reminiscent of several inferior bottles of LdH Tondonia GR 1994 I have had the misfortune to have paid for. This bottle was generously opened by a friend, so I wasn’t thinking about the price tag, but its contents did smell musty, and taste closed- the best I could think of was thin, underripe blackberry. A choice between NR (= defective) or 86P. I'm not here to pick a fight, so: NR
075308. Decanted. Black current, inky, cedar, heat. Still quite primary with excellent drive and concentration. Better five days later, with slightly rougher tannins but very good opulence and balance. 94-95
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Drunk for dinner of beef, roasted beets and truffled mash potato. 14%. Opaque black garnet. Menthol, mulberry, blackberry, raspberry, black cherries, black plums, cassis, cognac. Beautifully balanced, tannins very smooth and soft, good acidity and wonderful length. This is a great wine with staying power for a few more decades.
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Simply one of the finest wines I have ever had, with an incredibly smooth, polished feel - integrated oak and a weightless quality that doesn't hide the cherry, blackberry, plum, and sweet spice notes. If you can find it, buy it.
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Rustic, manly, very Spanish, if you will, smoke and som dark spice heres, still balance is impeccable, the structure vertical. Approachable, though still with plenty of tannins. #El Cellar de Can Rocca #JubileTasting
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Decantado unas 4 horas. Presenta un color morado muy oscuro de capa muy alta. Magnifico aroma de alta calidad con muchas fruta roja, fresas y cerezas, notas ligeras licorosas, tierra, ceniza, ozono y hierro, esencialmente mucha fruta, La boca es incisiva, potente, expansiva y muy estructurada con alta tensión horizontal, aunque quizá en general es más ligero que la versión de la añada 1994 que es la última que degusté. Suave y aterciopelado, muy complejo, con perfecto equilibrio. Vino excepcional que merece una guarda mucho más prolongada que la que le he dado, dado que tiene aún un enorme potencial de mejora pero también es un crimen no disfrutarlo ahora que aún se puede.
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From 75cl, perfect cork, decanted 90 minutes. Light-bodied, bright acidity; ripe fruit; burnished, almost resolved tannins. Hmmm... definitely a superlative Tempranillo with luxury oak; delicious, but with lowish concentration and quite one-dimensional on the mid-palate. Perhaps it's just far too young? Surely this would need more stuffing to grow old gracefully? My first Unico, and I must admit I was taken aback by how slender and self-effacing it was, at least compared to other more forthright (and plain concentrated) wines from Vega Sicilia (Alion, Pintia, Valbuena) previously tasted. This seems built like a genteel 2nd growth Médoc from a light vintage (Léoville Poyferré? Brane Cantenac?) although it is buffed, polished and already "perfect"-ly ready to drink at an age at which its French cousins would still be stiff and unyielding. 92P(?)
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Medium garnet, with a nose centered on cassis, pencil graphite and cracked pepper. Midweight on the palate, which has nice length and trails to a saline note. Lacks the orange oils I normally find in Unico.
Quite a good wine, that I might have taken for Chateau Meyney in a normal vintage. But to me, lacks the distinction and subtle complexity one normallly looks for in Unico. 2006 was a scorcher, and I wonder if the blend is completely missing some parcels normally included into this wine? Whatever the reason, I don’t see it attaining the greatness the lofty name is known for.
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Opened four hours prior to serving alongside ‘14 Clos Erasmus. Still needs lots of time as the last glass was the best glass. Not closed for business, but a little more Zepplin, than AC/DC on the palate. In the short term, I prefer Erasmus, but Unico has been an extremely long haul wine in my experience
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Served blind. Immediate teryiaki, grilled meat, rosemary, american oak nose. Palate has this tangy, almost lactic, savory/sweet contrast. There's some brown sugar and spices, great texture, but also a bit of a wall of power that's hard to get over. A lovely wine with enough unique signature to guess a younger Unico.
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Still quite young, and I knew that going in, but just had this insane desire to open this bottle. It was fantastic, but we had it in a flight with the 1996 Unico, which was at a perfect place, so the 2006 came across as almost totally unevolved in comparison. Pro tip: drink this wine all by itself with no other wines in the room.
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The fruit is riper, more tannic than the elegant 2009. This is a big albeit good wine that needs a decade to be at its best . The structure is great, but just too young
My favourite Spanish wine. The nose alone would qualify this wine for a perfect score, but the palate is not at the same level...albeit at a very high level (I'm being very picky!!) Very aromatic nose of cedar, roasted coconut, spices and dark berries-cassis. The palate offers similar aromas, but with less intensity and focus. Very long finish and super refined. I'd drink wine like this every day of the year...unfortunately, my name is NOT Warren Buffet:( Tasting this wine brings you back several decades ago when wines were produced in a more "classic" style...like meeting Marty McFly in 1955 in his DeLorean. The wine can rest in your cellar for many more years, but I feel it's ready now, so why wait any longer. Always a privilege to drink.
Spanish Wine with a Chef (Pawleys Island, SC): This is timeless and as close to perfect as I can imagine. Dark, almost black in the glass with cassis, warm earthiness, vanilla and dark fruit on the nose. The palate was velvety smooth with awesome cherry fruit. This wine is also a great example of how to merge new world with the essence of the RdD. Wow, just wow. I'll put the rest of these away for a few more years and drip feed them into my rotation of bottles to open over time fully expecting this wine to get to the magical 100 point mark.
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Epic Bordeaux for an Epic Birthday!; 9/1/2021-9/12/2021 (Paris & Bordeaux): From a magnum. Surprising to me that very few Unicos have gotten 100 points. I would have thought given the consistency in the wine that most every year would be one (at least in a retrospective vertical - it is true that young these wines are not that approachable). And crazily enough, 15 years is still very young. This wine was big and brash and just needs 20-30 years.
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Almost perfect. Ridiculous texture and a lengthy finish. Coffee, chocolate, cassis, dark plum, and warm spices. Sooooo good. Could drink every day. Highest recommendation
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Still very primary, similar to bottles tasted in the past 2 years. Lots of material here, and certainly nice to drink, but not displaying what it will with much more time.
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Decanted 3+ hours. Wow, a very good Unico. Elegant and complex. Young but already very good. It's worth to pop a bottle even at this young stage. I would recommend to decant it at least 3 hours. 95 pts. at the moment.
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Was only able to decant for one hour because of time constraints. Could have used another 2 hour decant. Exceptional wine on par with the 2004. It smells a lot like a high end left bank Bordeaux. Vega Sicilia produces great wine at a very good price for the quality.
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Placed in the decanter from 3pm to 4:45pm, then back into the bottle to be consumed during dinner starting at 6pm. At first it was a little tied, the nose was intriguing but way too delicate. Medium plus body and good acidity and tannins. At this point it was a 92pts fir me.
About one hour into our dinner the genie came out of the bottle and provided a massive explosion of dark fruits with pencil and herbs! Super good and unprecedented length and finish, we had inky one glass left but to our dismay the heavenly experience only lasted like 15 min, then it came backward and closed down fir the last sip...
96pts at the heavenly spot. Not sure what and why this happened. Do you know the message giving by this bottle!?
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Casual BBQ Wines: Decanted about 4 hours prior. Vanilla, orange peel, chocolate, violets and other dark floral notes along with peppery spice. Fresh on the palate with beautifully fine balance, deeply textured and exceptionally long. Excellent wine.
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100 points. Dry, Med+ acidity, med/+ tannins. Med alcohol, med/+ body med+ intensity long finish. Ripe, concentrated red fruits. Pronounced black and green olives, olive brine. Stewed tomatoes, tomato leaf. Graphite. Med oak, vanilla coconut. Dried raspberries/strawberries. Perfect balance of primary and tertiary fruits. Perfect balance of acidity, alcohol, tannins. Deeply complexed. Stunning and unforgettable wine experience.
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Drinking my last bottle of this. Opened for 3 hours. Beautiful dark ruby red color. On the nose: Plums, cassis and spice. On the palate : Plum, anise, and a bit of dark chocolate. Sensuous mouthfeel. Long finish. I’ve raised the score a point since last bottle. This is a special wine.
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Complex bouquet with savoury (tomato?) and floral notes, some spice/vanilla too. Medium to full bodied palate but there is a certain density here. Soft tannins and a very long finish (minutes!). Such wonderful finesse. Given the current times we find ourselves in, I felt it would be a nice treat to open a bottle tonight. I’m lucky to have some more tucked away, as this wine should continue to evolve for many decades to come.
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94% Tinto Fino and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. About. 35 year old vines. Quite broad and massively flavored, yet so balanced with extremely charming and delicate notes of youthful blackberries, blackcurrants, concentrated coffee and salts. Pretty full bodied wine with fantastic mouthfeel. Again this is characterized by finesse and balance with precise darker red berries, salts and licorice. Pure acidity and perfect tannins. Has a long life in the cellar in front and can withstand 15-20 years, but already charming. Wonderful wine and the best Unico in a long time. 96 points.
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WCC Stag Wine Night Blind Tasting @ Jade Palace [Solaia 2008, Opus One 2007, Unico 2006, Dominus 1997, Latour 1996]: 3rd bottle for the night - Nose of berries, cassis, flowers, fresh morning dew - one of the best bouquets tonight. This was matched by the palate of red currants, red fruits, flowers, limestone with a slight tinge of orange on the tertiary. Long, black tea-bitter finish. Soft tannins. Elegant and classy, very feminine. But still an adolescent and unfortunately overshadowed by the more powerful wines tonight. Nonetheless, an enjoyable bottle but I would give it more time.
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Drank blind, dark red, young, vanilla, woody, thought an IGT, good wine but needs 10-15 more years, balanced, lots of fruits but lock em up, I think it struggled in the company of 76 Evangile, 98 Haut Brion, 94 Lopez Tondonia reserva & 09 Pichon Baron
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Decanted for 30 minutes before serving. On the nose, elegant and balanced. Smooth and velvety palate, yet with its fine peppery notes, this is still unmistakably a Spanish wine. A fantastic wine. Still, I wish there was a broader, more complex taste profile. In its quest for elegance, the taste becomes somewhat subdued and muted. 94-95 points.
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Smooth with fine tannins. Will certainly improve over the next several years, but drinks quite nicely now. A very elegant wine that can turn any occasion into a special occasion.
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This wine is the most fruit forward Vega to date for me, and for that matter, it can be from anywhere. Very modern, very ripe, single pieced with no rough edges at all, this glides in and coats the mouth for a full minute, while the tannins throb the fruit into the back your senses. Very modern, very well made, and obviously right up the alley of the guy who scored it 100. For me, this was an undeniably delicious wine with the lack of identity. Drinks great now, but should improve for my taste in 10 years...so for me, its a HOLD
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Not a bad Saturday afternoon: Rich and intense dark fruit, anise and star anise, with plenty of oak spiraled through like a marbled rye, lots of fine tannin on the finish, still a baby, but if you have a lot it is worth drinking one now.
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Delightful - big, deep, plush blackberry, plum, mineral, salty prosciutto, citrus. Similar on the palate. Big palate, but the glycerin and acidity seem enough to balance the alcohol. Easy to get a read on this, but I imagine it will take 15 or so years to really reach its apogee.
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Wine Spectator newbies; 10/18/2018-10/20/2018 (Marriott Marquis): Maybe one of the biggest baby killings of the evening. These wines are tough young - very tight and the oak still quite prevalent and everything is just not quite as pulled together. It's actually hardly drinkable at this stage, but knowing these wines it feels like it could be really quite good with 20+ years.
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The 2006 was dark and brooding on this night, still showing a sheen of it’s oak and pulling me closer to the glass to find a mix of both black and red fruits, as sweet spices gave way to violet floral tones, and hints of undergrowth. On the palate, I found velvety textures, with compact dark red fruits, cleansing acidity and slowly developing inner floral tones. The finish was long, showing fine dusty tannins and lingering spicy oak. This is a wine that aches for time in the cellar, with tension and density to spare.
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Tasted the 2004 a few years ago and this 2006 feels like the more cooler, elegant and subdued version of that. This is a classy, complex and precise wine that is not going to wow from the get-go. Its slow, contemplative and layered. Just wonderful. Drink or hold.
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Les Deux 2018 (Chez Gill): Final flight, second wine. Somehow this wine just got lost. After the old bdx, it just tasted so modern, so I set it aside. When I came back to it, it was good, but still tasted young and modern. Loads of ripe fruit (leaning slightly candied) and oak on the nose, and just not showing so much delineation. On the palate, ok acidity, and well-structured finish, but just kind of monochrome.
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light sediment. decanted for 1 hour. Paired with 2lb ribeye steak on the grill. Nose:Black Fruit, cherries. Just addictive. One of the most addictive ambrosia scents I've ever experienced. On the palate - first of all....can't taste any alcohol whatever. One of the best wines I've ever experienced in my life. If you want have a life changing EXPERIENCE. try this wine. Best my little tasting group has ever had. Brad - heavypourwine.com
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liked this best of the 05/06/07 trio - a good balance here but still quite a lot of oak so whilst this is good to drink now I would keep this for a while.
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The most recent release of Único, following the younger vintages of 2007 and 2008. A blend of Tinto Fino (94%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (6%). Aged for some almost 6 years in new and old barriques made from French and American oak and in 20,000-liter vats, and then for a further 5 years in bottles. Released only after the wine was deemed ready, i.e. just a few months ago. 14% alcohol. Total production approximately 100,000 bottles.
Deep, somewhat developed and slightly translucent cherry red color with a subtle figgy hue suggesting long age. Surprisingly dense and youthful nose with quite oak-driven aromatics of sweet and slightly dried figs, some vanilla, light leathery character, a little bit of succulent dark fruits, a hint of pruney fruit and a touch of dusty earth. Although showing some age, the nose here seems less aged than that of Valbuena 2013, tasted alongside. The wine is velvety smooth and full-bodied yet not massive on the palate with enormously complex and constantly changing flavors of ripe dark berries, wizened plums, some leather, a little bit of sweet raisiny fruit, a hint of vanilla and a rustic touch of animal. Overall the wine feels quite modest in acidity with gentle mellow tannins, but that is only the first impression that decieves - the long aging seems to have pushed the structure behind the fruit, but slowly you realise the wine is moderately high in acidity and even the tannic grip seems to grow slowly, sip by sip. The finish is lively, moderately developed and very complex with gentle, somewhat restrained yet incredibly persistent flavors of saddle leather, some vanilla, a little bit of sweet raisiny fruit, a hint of strawberry and a subtle touch of clove and sweet oak spice. The tannins leave a gentle but firm grip on the gums.
A very fine, sophisticated and so finely crafted Ribera del Duero cult wine that it is already now complex beyond words. The finesse here is incredible and the wine obviously is released when it is deemed ready to be drunk: the structure is firm, but it doesn't need any additional age to resolve, and the fruit department is starting to show very lovely aged character. You could drink this wine today, and not feel bad about it because it is stunningly beautiful already now. However, the wine also shows spectacular aging potential and, to be honest, the vanilla character here is - at times - a bit too pronounced for my preference. I am quite certain that the vanilla notes will slowly fade into the background noise with the years and the wine will get additional complexity as it ages. This means that even though the wine is perfectly drinkable right now, perhaps you shouldn't pop it open yet - let it age for as long as you want to. It will keep good (actually, get better) for years on end. A stunningly beautiful and thoroughly classic Spanish red that has nothing to do with those extraction bombs Ribera del Duero is so well-known for today. Very highly recommended.
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A Kaleidoscopic View On Vega-Sicilia (Il Buco): What a treat it was to taste the 2006 Unico. Here I found a dark expression of Tempranillo that pulled me closer to the glass with each sniff, as dusty flowers, dark red fruits and sweet spices gave way to crushed stone and hints of undergrowth. On the palate, I found silky textures that seemed to coat the senses, before being cleansed by zesty acidity and a wave of red and blue fruit. Compact at its young age, but hard to resist on its energy alone, the ‘06 finished with fine dusty tannins and lingering spicy red fruits. The potential for improvement in the cellar here is tremendous.
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red colour hint of brown at the rim, fading Stewed fruit on the nose, forest floor - smells quite old More stewed fruit, cooked strawberries, on the palate, tannins now beginnning to relax toasty and nutty notes on the finish Tastes very old school which I like. I'm sure this will last for years
Apparently this took an age to come round and the tannins to soften which is why it has only just been released.
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2/16/2024 - splavski wrote: 97 Points
Madeo. Real Madrid VP
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2/2/2024 - firstgrowth Likes this wine: 96 Points
Huge wine. Super strong on opening, finish lasted forever and puckered my mouth. Decanted for a couple hours and smoothed out beautifully. Great wine
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12/31/2023 - Tartiflette Likes this wine: 94 Points
8 hour decant. What a monster. Overwhelming blackberries is the first aroma that meets your nose. In the mouth it is blackberries, cherries, cedar, vanilla and chocolate. You feel plenty of tannins but they are just so agreeable and smooth. Thick viscosity and a very long aftertaste. No wonder the prices are soaring on these Vega's but they are worth it. Can’t wait till the 2006 becomes fully mature.
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12/5/2023 - d.f.c Likes this wine: 93 Points
The wine showed good balance between mid-level alcohol concentration and mild tannins as well as mid acidity. It was pleasant to drink, but did leave a powerful note.
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9/15/2023 - jviz wrote: 94 Points
Sweet vanilla oak, but far more integrated than the 09 served alongside. Deep and intense, some black cherry, cedar wood, hints of caramel and vanilla. Integration is the key, but it still needs 10 years. Not a crime to open but it isn’t near peak today.
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9/11/2023 - Cailles wrote: 95 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: Intoxicating nose with fine dark fruit, coffee beans, roasted aromas, some fine herbs and earthy notes. Sweet dark berries. On the palate very fresh, very gentle and round, no excess weight. Fine sweet blueberry and casis notes, fine coffee notes, all balanced by an earthy minerality component. The tannins are soft, the wine is round and silky but with very good tension and freshness often missing in Tempranillos. Others found it a tad wild at first but I loved it right from the start, even though the oak is not yet fully integrated.
Decanting: A quick double decant, then the wine rested back in the bottle without cork for roughly five to six hours. Good from the go but it could have even used one or the other additional hour in a decanter.
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6/15/2023 - honest bob wrote:
From 75cl, cork not seen, decanted 3 hours. An odd bottle, with a distinct scent of wet cardboard reminiscent of several inferior bottles of LdH Tondonia GR 1994 I have had the misfortune to have paid for. This bottle was generously opened by a friend, so I wasn’t thinking about the price tag, but its contents did smell musty, and taste closed- the best I could think of was thin, underripe blackberry. A choice between NR (= defective) or 86P. I'm not here to pick a fight, so: NR
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6/5/2023 - hprphf wrote: 94 Points
075308. Decanted. Black current, inky, cedar, heat. Still quite primary with excellent drive and concentration. Better five days later, with slightly rougher tannins but very good opulence and balance. 94-95
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4/16/2023 - Leidersdorff Likes this wine: 98 Points
Close to a perfect wine. Give it another ten years and we are close to a 100.
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3/18/2023 - Mon.Maultiere Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drunk for dinner of beef, roasted beets and truffled mash potato. 14%. Opaque black garnet. Menthol, mulberry, blackberry, raspberry, black cherries, black plums, cassis, cognac. Beautifully balanced, tannins very smooth and soft, good acidity and wonderful length. This is a great wine with staying power for a few more decades.
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3/11/2023 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was our anniversary wine. Opened for about 3 hours and then a short 15 minutes decant at the restaurant. Definitely not enough.
The wine is medium plus in body, nice nose, a touch of vanilla and American oak, not to much complexity here and now.
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1/24/2023 - Artbreadman Does not like this wine:
Corked!
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10/1/2022 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 100 Points
Simply one of the finest wines I have ever had, with an incredibly smooth, polished feel - integrated oak and a weightless quality that doesn't hide the cherry, blackberry, plum, and sweet spice notes. If you can find it, buy it.
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9/6/2022 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
Rustic, manly, very Spanish, if you will, smoke and som dark spice heres, still balance is impeccable, the structure vertical. Approachable, though still with plenty of tannins.
#El Cellar de Can Rocca #JubileTasting
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8/13/2022 - FEDEVIDAL wrote: 97 Points
Decantado unas 4 horas. Presenta un color morado muy oscuro de capa muy alta. Magnifico aroma de alta calidad con muchas fruta roja, fresas y cerezas, notas ligeras licorosas, tierra, ceniza, ozono y hierro, esencialmente mucha fruta, La boca es incisiva, potente, expansiva y muy estructurada con alta tensión horizontal, aunque quizá en general es más ligero que la versión de la añada 1994 que es la última que degusté. Suave y aterciopelado, muy complejo, con perfecto equilibrio.
Vino excepcional que merece una guarda mucho más prolongada que la que le he dado, dado que tiene aún un enorme potencial de mejora pero también es un crimen no disfrutarlo ahora que aún se puede.
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5/21/2022 - honest bob wrote: 92 Points
From 75cl, perfect cork, decanted 90 minutes. Light-bodied, bright acidity; ripe fruit; burnished, almost resolved tannins. Hmmm... definitely a superlative Tempranillo with luxury oak; delicious, but with lowish concentration and quite one-dimensional on the mid-palate. Perhaps it's just far too young? Surely this would need more stuffing to grow old gracefully? My first Unico, and I must admit I was taken aback by how slender and self-effacing it was, at least compared to other more forthright (and plain concentrated) wines from Vega Sicilia (Alion, Pintia, Valbuena) previously tasted. This seems built like a genteel 2nd growth Médoc from a light vintage (Léoville Poyferré? Brane Cantenac?) although it is buffed, polished and already "perfect"-ly ready to drink at an age at which its French cousins would still be stiff and unyielding. 92P(?)
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5/18/2022 - KPB wrote: 92 Points
Medium garnet, with a nose centered on cassis, pencil graphite and cracked pepper. Midweight on the palate, which has nice length and trails to a saline note. Lacks the orange oils I normally find in Unico.
Quite a good wine, that I might have taken for Chateau Meyney in a normal vintage. But to me, lacks the distinction and subtle complexity one normallly looks for in Unico. 2006 was a scorcher, and I wonder if the blend is completely missing some parcels normally included into this wine? Whatever the reason, I don’t see it attaining the greatness the lofty name is known for.
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5/9/2022 - JohnnyBark Likes this wine:
Opened four hours prior to serving alongside ‘14 Clos Erasmus. Still needs lots of time as the last glass was the best glass. Not closed for business, but a little more Zepplin, than AC/DC on the palate. In the short term, I prefer Erasmus, but Unico has been an extremely long haul wine in my experience
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12/20/2021 - andtheodor wrote: 93 Points
Served blind. Immediate teryiaki, grilled meat, rosemary, american oak nose. Palate has this tangy, almost lactic, savory/sweet contrast. There's some brown sugar and spices, great texture, but also a bit of a wall of power that's hard to get over. A lovely wine with enough unique signature to guess a younger Unico.
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12/17/2021 - robmatic wrote: 94 Points
Still quite young, and I knew that going in, but just had this insane desire to open this bottle. It was fantastic, but we had it in a flight with the 1996 Unico, which was at a perfect place, so the 2006 came across as almost totally unevolved in comparison. Pro tip: drink this wine all by itself with no other wines in the room.
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10/25/2021 - Kevnzworld wrote: 94 Points
The fruit is riper, more tannic than the elegant 2009.
This is a big albeit good wine that needs a decade to be at its best .
The structure is great, but just too young
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10/7/2021 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine: 97 Points
My favourite Spanish wine. The nose alone would qualify this wine for a perfect score, but the palate is not at the same level...albeit at a very high level (I'm being very picky!!) Very aromatic nose of cedar, roasted coconut, spices and dark berries-cassis. The palate offers similar aromas, but with less intensity and focus. Very long finish and super refined. I'd drink wine like this every day of the year...unfortunately, my name is NOT Warren Buffet:( Tasting this wine brings you back several decades ago when wines were produced in a more "classic" style...like meeting Marty McFly in 1955 in his DeLorean. The wine can rest in your cellar for many more years, but I feel it's ready now, so why wait any longer. Always a privilege to drink.
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9/12/2021 - DavilaDC Likes this wine: 99 Points
Spanish Wine with a Chef (Pawleys Island, SC): This is timeless and as close to perfect as I can imagine. Dark, almost black in the glass with cassis, warm earthiness, vanilla and dark fruit on the nose. The palate was velvety smooth with awesome cherry fruit. This wine is also a great example of how to merge new world with the essence of the RdD. Wow, just wow. I'll put the rest of these away for a few more years and drip feed them into my rotation of bottles to open over time fully expecting this wine to get to the magical 100 point mark.
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9/2/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Epic Bordeaux for an Epic Birthday!; 9/1/2021-9/12/2021 (Paris & Bordeaux): From a magnum. Surprising to me that very few Unicos have gotten 100 points. I would have thought given the consistency in the wine that most every year would be one (at least in a retrospective vertical - it is true that young these wines are not that approachable). And crazily enough, 15 years is still very young. This wine was big and brash and just needs 20-30 years.
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8/14/2021 - eschaefer Likes this wine: 98 Points
Almost perfect. Ridiculous texture and a lengthy finish. Coffee, chocolate, cassis, dark plum, and warm spices. Sooooo good. Could drink every day. Highest recommendation
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6/4/2021 - jkuanl Likes this wine:
Still very primary, similar to bottles tasted in the past 2 years. Lots of material here, and certainly nice to drink, but not displaying what it will with much more time.
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5/5/2021 - Romol Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 3+ hours. Wow, a very good Unico. Elegant and complex. Young but already very good. It's worth to pop a bottle even at this young stage. I would recommend to decant it at least 3 hours. 95 pts. at the moment.
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3/26/2021 - Thief Likes this wine: 96 Points
Iron, morcilla (blood sausage) and rich dark scorched earth. Super layered, but with an elegant silky mouthfeel. Oh why did I not buy more of this?
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3/1/2021 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark, silky, ripe and floral. Tastes like blackberries. Decanted 3 hours, could go for longer but is already expressive and drinking well
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1/31/2021 - yukoner Likes this wine: 95 Points
Was only able to decant for one hour because of time constraints. Could have used another 2 hour decant. Exceptional wine on par with the 2004. It smells a lot like a high end left bank Bordeaux. Vega Sicilia produces great wine at a very good price for the quality.
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12/11/2020 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Placed in the decanter from 3pm to 4:45pm, then back into the bottle to be consumed during dinner starting at 6pm. At first it was a little tied, the nose was intriguing but way too delicate. Medium plus body and good acidity and tannins. At this point it was a 92pts fir me.
About one hour into our dinner the genie came out of the bottle and provided a massive explosion of dark fruits with pencil and herbs! Super good and unprecedented length and finish, we had inky one glass left but to our dismay the heavenly experience only lasted like 15 min, then it came backward and closed down fir the last sip...
96pts at the heavenly spot. Not sure what and why this happened. Do you know the message giving by this bottle!?
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11/14/2020 - CamWheeler wrote: 95 Points
Casual BBQ Wines: Decanted about 4 hours prior. Vanilla, orange peel, chocolate, violets and other dark floral notes along with peppery spice. Fresh on the palate with beautifully fine balance, deeply textured and exceptionally long. Excellent wine.
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11/7/2020 - Johndove6 Likes this wine: 100 Points
100 points. Dry, Med+ acidity, med/+ tannins. Med alcohol, med/+ body med+ intensity long finish. Ripe, concentrated red fruits. Pronounced black and green olives, olive brine. Stewed tomatoes, tomato leaf. Graphite. Med oak, vanilla coconut. Dried raspberries/strawberries. Perfect balance of primary and tertiary fruits. Perfect balance of acidity, alcohol, tannins. Deeply complexed. Stunning and unforgettable wine experience.
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10/10/2020 - Miceri Likes this wine: 98 Points
Medium drak red; sweet nose, blueberry; perfect balance, blueberries; love it (Pingus 06 also tasted was poor in comparison)
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10/2/2020 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drinking my last bottle of this. Opened for 3 hours. Beautiful dark ruby red color. On the nose: Plums, cassis and spice. On the palate : Plum, anise, and a bit of dark chocolate. Sensuous mouthfeel. Long finish. I’ve raised the score a point since last bottle. This is a special wine.
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8/19/2020 - MWiking wrote: 96 Points
Couldn’t hold my fingers away from this bottle had to try it again and it’s a remarkable wine. Spain in a bottle.
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4/12/2020 - rgawlowski Likes this wine: 96 Points
Way too young, but I was too curious; amazing, nuanced nose and fruitily on the nose; long memorable finish; see you in 10-20 years.
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3/22/2020 - streethawk wrote: 96 Points
Complex bouquet with savoury (tomato?) and floral notes, some spice/vanilla too. Medium to full bodied palate but there is a certain density here. Soft tannins and a very long finish (minutes!). Such wonderful finesse. Given the current times we find ourselves in, I felt it would be a nice treat to open a bottle tonight. I’m lucky to have some more tucked away, as this wine should continue to evolve for many decades to come.
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1/21/2020 - vin43 wrote: 94 Points
Balanced, great finish ready to drink. Decanted for 1.5 hours
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11/1/2019 - Andre Brattland wrote: 96 Points
94% Tinto Fino and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. About. 35 year old vines. Quite broad and massively flavored, yet so balanced with extremely charming and delicate notes of youthful blackberries, blackcurrants, concentrated coffee and salts. Pretty full bodied wine with fantastic mouthfeel. Again this is characterized by finesse and balance with precise darker red berries, salts and licorice. Pure acidity and perfect tannins. Has a long life in the cellar in front and can withstand 15-20 years, but already charming. Wonderful wine and the best Unico in a long time. 96 points.
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9/9/2019 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 93 Points
WCC Stag Wine Night Blind Tasting @ Jade Palace [Solaia 2008, Opus One 2007, Unico 2006, Dominus 1997, Latour 1996]: 3rd bottle for the night - Nose of berries, cassis, flowers, fresh morning dew - one of the best bouquets tonight. This was matched by the palate of red currants, red fruits, flowers, limestone with a slight tinge of orange on the tertiary. Long, black tea-bitter finish. Soft tannins. Elegant and classy, very feminine. But still an adolescent and unfortunately overshadowed by the more powerful wines tonight. Nonetheless, an enjoyable bottle but I would give it more time.
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9/3/2019 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very good. Dark fruits, black tea and with Asian spices and black pepper. Oozes class
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8/7/2019 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
Drank blind, dark red, young, vanilla, woody, thought an IGT, good wine but needs 10-15 more years, balanced, lots of fruits but lock em up, I think it struggled in the company of 76 Evangile, 98 Haut Brion, 94 Lopez Tondonia reserva & 09 Pichon Baron
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7/10/2019 - AWBryce wrote:
Rich, succulent, ripe. blueberry, oats, rosemary, vanilla. Sexy but structured, blue fruits on palate.
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7/7/2019 - Norwegian Commandeur Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes before serving. On the nose, elegant and balanced. Smooth and velvety palate, yet with its fine peppery notes, this is still unmistakably a Spanish wine. A fantastic wine. Still, I wish there was a broader, more complex taste profile. In its quest for elegance, the taste becomes somewhat subdued and muted. 94-95 points.
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4/20/2019 - mbo1 wrote: 95 Points
Smooth with fine tannins. Will certainly improve over the next several years, but drinks quite nicely now. A very elegant wine that can turn any occasion into a special occasion.
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3/25/2019 - firstgrowth Likes this wine: 94 Points
Super string until decanted an hour then really smooths our. Sublime!
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3/15/2019 - Purple Tooth wrote: 97 Points
This wine is the most fruit forward Vega to date for me, and for that matter, it can be from anywhere. Very modern, very ripe, single pieced with no rough edges at all, this glides in and coats the mouth for a full minute, while the tannins throb the fruit into the back your senses. Very modern, very well made, and obviously right up the alley of the guy who scored it 100. For me, this was an undeniably delicious wine with the lack of identity. Drinks great now, but should improve for my taste in 10 years...so for me, its a HOLD
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3/3/2019 - MWiking Likes this wine: 98 Points
Spain at it best. So pure and elegant. True young love in this wine
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12/10/2018 - JOsgood wrote:
Dark in color. Big tannins on the palate with a nice level of refinement. Lots of fragrance. Fun to try this young beast.
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12/8/2018 - MikeATL Likes this wine: 94 Points
Not a bad Saturday afternoon: Rich and intense dark fruit, anise and star anise, with plenty of oak spiraled through like a marbled rye, lots of fine tannin on the finish, still a baby, but if you have a lot it is worth drinking one now.
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10/19/2018 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points
Delightful - big, deep, plush blackberry, plum, mineral, salty prosciutto, citrus. Similar on the palate. Big palate, but the glycerin and acidity seem enough to balance the alcohol. Easy to get a read on this, but I imagine it will take 15 or so years to really reach its apogee.
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10/18/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Spectator newbies; 10/18/2018-10/20/2018 (Marriott Marquis): Maybe one of the biggest baby killings of the evening. These wines are tough young - very tight and the oak still quite prevalent and everything is just not quite as pulled together. It's actually hardly drinkable at this stage, but knowing these wines it feels like it could be really quite good with 20+ years.
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10/16/2018 - Alex G. wrote:
Young but polished, not as tannic as I would have expected. Becomes oakier with air. Let these sleep!
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9/20/2018 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 96 Points
The 2006 was dark and brooding on this night, still showing a sheen of it’s oak and pulling me closer to the glass to find a mix of both black and red fruits, as sweet spices gave way to violet floral tones, and hints of undergrowth. On the palate, I found velvety textures, with compact dark red fruits, cleansing acidity and slowly developing inner floral tones. The finish was long, showing fine dusty tannins and lingering spicy oak. This is a wine that aches for time in the cellar, with tension and density to spare.
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9/15/2018 - steak&pizza Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted the 2004 a few years ago and this 2006 feels like the more cooler, elegant and subdued version of that. This is a classy, complex and precise wine that is not going to wow from the get-go. Its slow, contemplative and layered. Just wonderful. Drink or hold.
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9/3/2018 - beatles wrote: 95 Points
Very full bodied, dark, manly, spicy, lots of tobacco, smoke; yet it is fresh and balanced. Grand Vin - and still very young.
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8/31/2018 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Les Deux 2018 (Chez Gill): Final flight, second wine. Somehow this wine just got lost. After the old bdx, it just tasted so modern, so I set it aside. When I came back to it, it was good, but still tasted young and modern. Loads of ripe fruit (leaning slightly candied) and oak on the nose, and just not showing so much delineation. On the palate, ok acidity, and well-structured finish, but just kind of monochrome.
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7/14/2018 - HeavyPourWine Likes this wine: 98 Points
light sediment. decanted for 1 hour. Paired with 2lb ribeye steak on the grill. Nose:Black Fruit, cherries. Just addictive. One of the most addictive ambrosia scents I've ever experienced. On the palate - first of all....can't taste any alcohol whatever. One of the best wines I've ever experienced in my life. If you want have a life changing EXPERIENCE. try this wine. Best my little tasting group has ever had. Brad - heavypourwine.com
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3/2/2018 - steinersing wrote: 96 Points
liked this best of the 05/06/07 trio - a good balance here but still quite a lot of oak so whilst this is good to drink now I would keep this for a while.
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2/5/2018 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points
The most recent release of Único, following the younger vintages of 2007 and 2008. A blend of Tinto Fino (94%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (6%). Aged for some almost 6 years in new and old barriques made from French and American oak and in 20,000-liter vats, and then for a further 5 years in bottles. Released only after the wine was deemed ready, i.e. just a few months ago. 14% alcohol. Total production approximately 100,000 bottles.
Deep, somewhat developed and slightly translucent cherry red color with a subtle figgy hue suggesting long age. Surprisingly dense and youthful nose with quite oak-driven aromatics of sweet and slightly dried figs, some vanilla, light leathery character, a little bit of succulent dark fruits, a hint of pruney fruit and a touch of dusty earth. Although showing some age, the nose here seems less aged than that of Valbuena 2013, tasted alongside. The wine is velvety smooth and full-bodied yet not massive on the palate with enormously complex and constantly changing flavors of ripe dark berries, wizened plums, some leather, a little bit of sweet raisiny fruit, a hint of vanilla and a rustic touch of animal. Overall the wine feels quite modest in acidity with gentle mellow tannins, but that is only the first impression that decieves - the long aging seems to have pushed the structure behind the fruit, but slowly you realise the wine is moderately high in acidity and even the tannic grip seems to grow slowly, sip by sip. The finish is lively, moderately developed and very complex with gentle, somewhat restrained yet incredibly persistent flavors of saddle leather, some vanilla, a little bit of sweet raisiny fruit, a hint of strawberry and a subtle touch of clove and sweet oak spice. The tannins leave a gentle but firm grip on the gums.
A very fine, sophisticated and so finely crafted Ribera del Duero cult wine that it is already now complex beyond words. The finesse here is incredible and the wine obviously is released when it is deemed ready to be drunk: the structure is firm, but it doesn't need any additional age to resolve, and the fruit department is starting to show very lovely aged character. You could drink this wine today, and not feel bad about it because it is stunningly beautiful already now. However, the wine also shows spectacular aging potential and, to be honest, the vanilla character here is - at times - a bit too pronounced for my preference. I am quite certain that the vanilla notes will slowly fade into the background noise with the years and the wine will get additional complexity as it ages. This means that even though the wine is perfectly drinkable right now, perhaps you shouldn't pop it open yet - let it age for as long as you want to. It will keep good (actually, get better) for years on end. A stunningly beautiful and thoroughly classic Spanish red that has nothing to do with those extraction bombs Ribera del Duero is so well-known for today. Very highly recommended.
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1/16/2018 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 97 Points
A Kaleidoscopic View On Vega-Sicilia (Il Buco): What a treat it was to taste the 2006 Unico. Here I found a dark expression of Tempranillo that pulled me closer to the glass with each sniff, as dusty flowers, dark red fruits and sweet spices gave way to crushed stone and hints of undergrowth. On the palate, I found silky textures that seemed to coat the senses, before being cleansed by zesty acidity and a wave of red and blue fruit. Compact at its young age, but hard to resist on its energy alone, the ‘06 finished with fine dusty tannins and lingering spicy red fruits. The potential for improvement in the cellar here is tremendous.
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12/4/2017 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
red colour hint of brown at the rim, fading
Stewed fruit on the nose, forest floor - smells quite old
More stewed fruit, cooked strawberries, on the palate, tannins now beginnning to relax
toasty and nutty notes on the finish
Tastes very old school which I like. I'm sure this will last for years
Apparently this took an age to come round and the tannins to soften which is why it has only just been released.
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