2010 Vega Sicilia 'Unico' Ribera del Duero

Winemaker Notes: The Unico Tinto is the Vega Sicilia flagship. The qualities of the Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon in different proportions are assembled to perfection in this wine. 2010 is a powerful, concentrated and ample vintage. Vega Sicilia Unico 2010 gains nuances, given sufficient time to open. A wine to enjoy long-term.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


James Suckling - "This is still very tight and closed with so much depth and beauty. The linear line to this is very vertical and draws you down. It shows intense blackberry, dark-chocolate, hazelnut and walnut character. Full body. Chewy yet extremely polished. Precise. Shows decadence."


Vinous - "Opaque violet. Intensely perfumed, expansive black and blue fruit preserve, potpourri, Moroccan spice and botanical herb scents are complemented by smoky mineral and vanilla flourishes. Sappy, penetrating and deeply concentrated on the palate, offering vibrant, mineral-laced black currant, bitter cherry, chewing tobacco, mocha and floral pastille flavors that deepen and turn sweeter on the back half. Shows superb focus and vibrant, floral lift on the wonderfully long, youthfully tannic finish, which leaves behind cherry liqueur, candied violet and spicecake notes."


Decanter - "This is, in my view, the best Unico in the last decade, with unmatched delicacy and complexity and the potential to improve in bottle over many years. Quite intensely perfumed with black-berry fruits and elegant hints of clove and coffee, the wine is magical on the palate, with its extremely fine-grained texture, a surprising freshness and a never-ending finish. After 10 years of ageing, it is still too young and needs a long time to reach its potential, but it is difficult not to drink it now. Still the greatest in its unique style."


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "I was surprised by the aromatics of the 2010 Único, cropped from a powerful and concentrated year that delivered this blend of 94% Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo) and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 14.5% alcohol and a highish pH of 3.87. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in a combination of French and American oak barrels and 20,000-liter oak vats and aged for almost six years. It feels quite ripe and somehow old style, dominated by ripe black fruit, with a rustic and earthy touch. It has an ample palate, concentrated and powerful, with some earthy tannins."


Wine Spectator - "This red is dense, balanced and complex. Plum, dried currant, cigar box, leather and mineral flavors mingle over ripe, well-integrated tannins. Orange peel acidity keeps this lively through the long, floral finish. Harmonious and graceful, in a classic style. Tinto Fino and Cabernet Sauvignon."


Wine & Spirits - "As meaty and gamey as dry-aged filet mignon, this is a complex and sophisticated vintage of Unico. It grows in parcels of old vines rising up a north-facing hillside, the soil flecked with gypsum that has crystalized, glinting amidst the layers of limestone and clay. The wine itself layers cranberry, fig and black-mushroom flavors into its sleek richness and power while the structure remains tight as a drum, even at ten years of age. Built for the long haul."

 

Shop By Winery: Bodegas Vega Sicilia

Shop By Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain

Shop By Varietal: Cabernet Blend