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Vega Sicilia, Unico, Ribera del Duero

Colour: Red
Vintage: 1996
Region: Castilla y Leon, Ribera del Duero

The wines of Tempos Vega Sicilia are recognised for their other-wordly quality and character. They produce several wines, including the great value Pintia from their Toro estate and Macan from their Rioja vineyards, but the focus is on Ribera del Duero and the Tinto Fino grape - the Ribera iteration of Tempranillo. Here they produce their entry-level Alion, a hugely popular wine made for earlier drinking, Valbuena, a high class red aged for 5 years in barrel and bottle before release, and two wines under the Vega Sicilia label: Unico, produced from a single vintage and aged up to 10 years before release, and Unico Reserva Especial, made from a blend of three Unico vintages and released once a year. Characteristically Vega is quite different to anything else. It is defined neither by length nor breadth; nor by fruit, nor structure, by power or by freshness. Somehow it manages to combine all these in a way that is reminiscent of great Bordeaux but with a unique and effortless sense of untapped energy rumbling underneath. The very fact that it ages so magnificently, and yet can be approached at almost any time during its life, is testament to its balance. Under winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga de Juan, Vega has arguably never been better and he brings to bear his extraordinary ability to ‘tame’ the wild nature of Ribera de Duero with incredible skill and precision. His tannin management is among the very best anywhere in the world creating a sense of structure and power and yet always allowing the fruit and freshness to take centre stage.

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96 RP
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1996 Vega Sicilia, Unico, Ribera del Duero

RP
£2,070 3 pack case(s) available

1996 Vega Sicilia, Unico, Ribera del Duero

Size
Cs (12)
Cs (6)
Cs (3)
Loose
Price
Per
Region: Castilla y Leon
96 RP
BTL
0
0
1
0
£2,070
3
 
CONDITION
STATUS
ETA
Our ETA dates are a guide and are subject to change. If you require more information on an ETA time please call UK +44 (0) 20 7269 0703 or alternatively email [email protected].
YOU BUY
Case (3 x 75cl) LIVETRADE
CONDITION
Original Case
STATUS
In-Bond
ETA
Our ETA dates are a guide and are subject to change. If you require more information on an ETA time please call UK +44 (0) 20 7269 0703 or alternatively email [email protected].
In Stock
LIVETRADE
You buy
£2,493.63
1 Case(s) Remaining

1996 Vega Sicilia, Unico, Ribera del Duero

RP
£2,070 3 pack case(s) available

1996 Vega Sicilia, Unico, Ribera del Duero

Size
Cs (12)
Cs (6)
Cs (3)
Loose
Price
Per
Region: Castilla y Leon
96 RP
BTL
0
0
1
0
£2,070
3
 
CONDITION
STATUS
ETA
Our ETA dates are a guide and are subject to change. If you require more information on an ETA time please call UK +44 (0) 20 7269 0703 or alternatively email [email protected].
YOU BUY
Case (3 x 75cl) LIVETRADE
CONDITION
Original Case
STATUS
In-Bond
ETA
Our ETA dates are a guide and are subject to change. If you require more information on an ETA time please call UK +44 (0) 20 7269 0703 or alternatively email [email protected].
In Stock
LIVETRADE
You buy
£2,070.00
1 Case(s) Remaining

Tasting Notes and Scores

96 RP

Robert Parker''s Wine Advocate 31/08/2012

Pablo Alvarez quipped that in 1996, the growing season was so benevolent, that the winemaker was not even necessary! The 1996 Unico has a very pure, pastille-like bouquet with raspberry, wild strawberry, crushed stone and a touch of Chinese tea. It has impressive delineation and linearity. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins. The fruit profile is shimmering in the glass with black cherries, cassis and blueberry notes. It is very feminine and powerful towards the poised, tensile finish that is long and seductive. One of the finest recent vintages, suffused with sensuality and opulence, the 1996 Unico is destined to be a great wine, one that might unfairly be over-shadowed by the 1994. 99,480 bottles produced. Drink 2020-2040+.

The 1996 Unico is from what the Vega Sicilia team calls “?an icon vintage”. Medium purple in color, it emits a lovely perfume of smoke, mineral, Asian spices, balsamic, and assorted black fruits. Elegant, savory, and intense on the palate, it has enough underlying structure to evolve for another decade and drink well through 2036.

Bodegas Vega Sicilia remains a benchmark for the world’s great red wines. The Valbuena bottling receives 3 years in barrel and 2 years in bottle prior to release. On the occasion of my visit in May 2010, the three Reserva Especials already in bottle and awaiting release were tasted side by side. They are identified (for the purposes of this review only) as the 2013 Release, the 2012 Release, and the 2011 Release. I was not told what vintages are in each bottling but it actually makes little difference. The Reserva Especials are blended to a house style designed to reflect Vega Sicilia at its very best. The vagaries of vintage (as reflected in Unico) are blended away leaving a wine that is, in my opinion, better than any of the single vintage wines with the possible exception of the 1942.

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