Vega Sicilia
About Vega Sicilia
Ribera del Duero sits as Spain’s premier winegrowing region today, with Vega-Sicilia being the jewel in the crown. Undoubtedly Spain’s First Growth, Vega-Sicilia, has risen to the top of winemaking in Spain since its inception in 1864 when Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves brought Cabernet and Merlot cuttings over from Bordeaux, planting them alongside the Spanish Tempranillo. It is also the only Spanish producer in the Liv-ex ‘Power 100’ list of the world’s most collectable wine estates. In 2019, it even jumped to 26th place, where it is rated above Pétrus, Opus One and Le Pin.
Viniculture
Vega Sicilia speaks of the barren, hot, sunshine terraces of central Spain. These are complex wines that are a constant and enjoyable paradox: showing depth with brilliance, grace with power. Their top wine is the legendary Único. Crafted from some of the oldest vines in the appellation, Único is released after long periods of ageing at the estate. Mainly Tempranillo with a small portion of Cabernet Sauvignon, this Gran Reserva is only made in top vintages and accounts for as little as a third of the estate’s entire production.
The second wine, Valbuena 5°, uses the same blend as Único and is a pure expression of Tinto Fino (the local name for Tempranillo) with a splash of Merlot (6%). Named after the nearby village of Valbuena de Duero, the ‘5°’ refers to the age of the wine, released after five (quinto) years of barrel and bottle age, hence the name of the end product: Valbuena 5º.
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 98 (WA) |
Inc. TAX
€1,409.20 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (98)To be released in 2020, the NV Único Reserva Especial 2020 Release is a non-vintage blend of 59 barrels from 2008, 2009 and 2010, mostly Tempranillo with some Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has been getting closer to the style of the Único, and the blend is from vintages very close to the current release of Único, but somehow this year I think the blend has added some complexity to the bottled wine, which has the heart and soul of the 2010 vintage. In fact, they told me they are keeping more wine to have some older vintages to blend for this Reserva Especial, because in the last few years, the wine has been a little too young for the style that it used to have in the past. This has finesse and some of the Burgundian style of the blends of yesteryear. 17,071 bottles and 214 magnums produced. It was bottled in June 2016. |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Castilla y Leon | 1 | 98 (WA) |
In Bond
€1,165.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (98)To be released in 2020, the NV Único Reserva Especial 2020 Release is a non-vintage blend of 59 barrels from 2008, 2009 and 2010, mostly Tempranillo with some Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has been getting closer to the style of the Único, and the blend is from vintages very close to the current release of Único, but somehow this year I think the blend has added some complexity to the bottled wine, which has the heart and soul of the 2010 vintage. In fact, they told me they are keeping more wine to have some older vintages to blend for this Reserva Especial, because in the last few years, the wine has been a little too young for the style that it used to have in the past. This has finesse and some of the Burgundian style of the blends of yesteryear. 17,071 bottles and 214 magnums produced. It was bottled in June 2016. |