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SKU: 581572
Vega Sicilia Unico 2016 (750ML)
$569.00
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Nearly a decade between wood and bottle sets Vega Sicilia's Único apart: the house regime is roughly six years in wood and four in bottle, moving through new and used 225-liter American and French barrels and 20,000-liter vats as each lot requires. Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon grow where hillside slopes meet the alluvial plain, on colluvial soils studded with limestone over sandy subsoil rich in quartz gravel. Fermentation is on native yeasts in wooden vats, with malolactic also in wood. The 2016 was a vintage of finesse and precise flavor, and it shows in a restrained nose of black fruit, prune and cedar framed by mocha, vanilla and chocolate. The palate is seamless and long, with a fine, chalky grip beneath oak that has yet to fully recede. Critics see it drinking from 2026 to 2050. Serve it with venison loin, dry-aged beef rib or aged Manchego.
Stock & Availability
Future Arrival
Country
Spain
Region
Castilla y Leon
Appellation
Ribera del Duero
Color
Red
Varietal
Tempranillo Blend
Prearrival
Yes
Critic Reviews
Jeb Dunnuck
100 Points
100 Points, Virginie Boone, JebDunnuck.com: “Aged five years in oak and another five in bottle, the 2016 Unico is made from a blend of estate parcels, the blend decided after one year in barrel. The producer believes that vintages that end in the number 6 tend to be exceptional, producing its top three years since 2000. This is no exception. Plush, with underlying grip, the wine is 96% Tempranillo with 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, an explosive, full-bodied exploration of dense red fruit, tension, and intensity that’s juicy, tense, and energetic. There’s a tremendous amount of elegance and power vying for equal attention. These wines live up to every inch of hype and acclaim. It’s drinking beautifully already and should sing easily another 40-50 years.” 08/26
James Suckling
98 Points
98 Points, Zekun Shuai, JamesSuckling.com: "A beautifully poised Vega that is already approachable. Everything is in harmony, showing an almost ethereal quality in contrast to the denser 2015 vintage. There’s a hint of minerality paired with the blackberries and dark cherries. The tannins are firm yet softened. Medium to full body and a finish that lingers for a minute. Drink or hold." 07/25
Wine Advocate
99 Points
99 Points, Luis Guitierrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2016 Único was perfumed and elegant, showcasing a very good vintage in the region. Winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga started in 2015—a powerful year—and he remembers 2016 as a very balanced year, with higher yields and finer-boned wines. The winter was mild, and there was a cooler than average spring and a warm summer. September was dry, which provided healthy grapes and balanced ripening. The harvest started the 22nd of September and finished the 11th of October. The bottled wine is 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.82 and 4.8 grams of acidity. It has the old Vega perfume, intoxicating, complex and nuanced, full of personality and a very energetic palate, vibrant and fresh, not lacking power but with lots of elegance. The wine is released 10 years after the harvest, combining time in new and used American and French oak barrels and 20,000-liter oak vats, and it obviously spends plenty of time in bottle. This is a monumental vintage of Único. A total of 92,292 bottles, 3,695 magnums and some larger formats were produced. It was bottled in May 2022." 01/26
