Description / Reviews
// 96% Tinto Fino, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon.
"Unico undergoes an extraordinary ageing process: more than ten years in oak and bottle. The 2015 vintage ripened quickly, evenly and exceptionally well. It was essential to harvest the grapes early, when they were crisp, fresh and juicy, to avoid over-ripening. This vintage was a special one for Gonzalo Iturriaga. "It was my first at Vega Sicilia," explains the winemaker. "I understood that there is something genuine in the Vega Sicilia estate, because when I taste the grapes I sense the concentration, the power, but also the elegance and silkiness. That's the basis of a great wine. When you taste that concentration, you understand the need for the unique ageing that we do at Vega Sicilia: five years in oak, with a first stage of about one and a half years in barrels to shape the wine, and a second stage of about three and a half years in oak vats to give the wine a whole new dimension." - Vega Sicilia, Winemaker
"Sit back and enjoy this Unico if you are going to open it now. Exotic spices and touches of balsam and cumin come up after the unleashing of blackberries, chocolate, iron, incense and violets. So fine-grained and polished, with a mouthful of velvety tannins that are so cohesive, close-knit and still reactive. Impeccably structured, it’s vertical before going extremely long and linear. A consistent Unico that seduces with a hint of iron-like minerality and rusticity. Drink on release or hold." - 98 points, Zekun Shuai, James Suckling
"Very whole and round with a generous width on the mid-palate offset by an assertive energy, supported by vivid acid and a well-presented tannic framework. An interesting counterpoint to the more chiseled linearity of the 2014 iteration. With all elements very much in their right place, but fruit still unapologetically punchy, it’ll be interesting to see how this evolves as tertiary complexity softens the primary and secondary vividness. Cocoa powder, dry tobacco leaves and seaweed hover over juicy plum, dark cherry and black olive. Very long, spicy finish with lingering tapenade and salty liquorice." - 98 points, Ines Salpico, Decanter
"The 2015 Único comes from a year with a fast ripening, and they had to harvest early to keep the crunchiness of the fruit. This was the first harvest produced 100% by winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga. The aging was five years in oak, one and a half years in barrels and three and a half years in oak vats. It’s a big vintage, produced with 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s ripe, with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.88 and 4.8 grams of acidity. The grapes were cooled down for one day, then the bunches were selected and fermented with a pied de cuve in vats. It’s a ripe and concentrated vintage, with a classical modern Vega Sicilia nose that’s expressive, aromatic and open, with notes of dark cherries, spice and cigar box. It has a medium- to full-bodied palate with abundant fine-grained tannins, good balance and the rustic elegance of the best Ribera del Dueros." - 97 points, Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate
"From the famous Vega Sicilia vineyard, located between 720 and 930 m above sea level on limestone marl soil. Aged for a total of 10 years, 5 years in barrels and wooden foudres, of which one and a half years in barrels, and another five years in bottle. The maturation of the 2015 vintage was fast, homogeneous and exceptional, which required a good control of the process to obtain the optimum point of maturity. Gonzalo Iturriaga’s first year as technical director. A very generous year in terms of ripeness and power, with great balancing acidity. For this wine, the whitest soils rich in marl were selected from the mythical Vega Sicilia vineyard. Cedar, graphite and a fine touch of earthiness. It is fluid, with melted tannins and very smooth. Certainly, a year of great delicacy and with the barrel less marked. It is totally multi-layered and you can already perceive some tertiary notes that are complemented by a touch of pine-forest freshness at the back of the palate. Great work; it is a totally overwhelming wine." - 19/20, Ferran Centelles, Jancis Robinson
