Tempos Vega Sicilia Unico Reserva Especial (2018 Release)
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Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine &
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
It is a non-vintage Vega Sicilia and a tribute to tradition. Unico Reserva Especial 2018 is composed of 58 barrels including vintages 2005, 2006 and 2007, among others.
These wines are ready for drinking now but may potentially be stored for approximately 40-60 years if kept in optimum conditions (12-15 ºC) at 60% relative humidity, and constant temperature, protected from direct light.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A layered and dense red with blackberries and sweet tobacco. Full body, wonderful fruit with chocolate, walnut, light vanilla and dried berry. This is a wine that opens on the palate and delivers amazing depth and richness yet changes all the time. A blend of 2005, 2006 and 2007. Bottled in 2014
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Wine Spectator
This red is medium-bodied but dense, offering old-school elegance, with cherry, tobacco, tea and baking spice flavors that show notes of underbrush and loamy earth. Balanced, with firm tannins and orange peel acidity. A blend of multiple vintages: 2005, 2006 and 2007. Drink now through 2026.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This wine was re-tasted prior to this report with similar descriptors to my previous tasting for a report I published earlier this year and the score was the same. A non-vintage blend of three different years and released in 2018, the NV Único Reserva Especial 2018 Release is composed of a blend of 58 barrels from the vintages 2005, 2006 and 2007, younger vintages than the Reserva Especial bottlings from yesteryear. It feels young and not that far away from the current vintage of Único, 2006, which is released at the same time as this. It's mostly Tempranillo with some Cabernet Sauvignon, where the aim is to keep a constant character across the different releases. It has a classical profile, with polished tannins and nice subtlety. Comparing it with the 2006 Único, it doesn't seem to have the same elegance, depth and complexity.
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Wine & Spirits
For Unico Reserva Especial, Vega-Sicilia follows a Spanish tradition, blending several vintages to produce the bodega’s top wine. In the case of the 2018 release, it’s a selection from the best stocks of Unico—58 barrels from 2005, 2006 and 2007. Packed with earthy notes and touches of exotic spice, it’s a profound wine, needing time in the glass to open. Although the aroma already shows some evolution, it tastes like a newborn wine in terms of structure and acidity, with firm tannins that resist the corpulent weight of its fruit. Already aged for a decade, this will continue to evolve for years to come.
Few wines have a history as distinguished as that of Vega Sicilia. Founded in the 1860’s, its reputation on its flagship vintage has for more than 100 years produced two great wines, each appropriately named "Único."
It was at Vega Sicilia in Ribera del Duero, two hours from Madrid, that Tempranillo proved its potential for greatness. When the estate's original founder, Don Eloy Lecanda Chaves returned from France with cuttings of Bordeaux varietals, he planted them alongside the indigenous variety, then known simply as Tinto del Pais, or “Country Red”, but today known as Tinto Fino or Tempranillo. Surprisingly, it was the Tempranillo that produced the superior wine.
Today, the market for Vega Sicilia is one of scarcity and increasing demand. Vega Sicilia’s growing fame and desirability is testament not only to the estate’s enduring legacy but to the world’s craving for wines of history and noble bearing. Vega Sicilia's vintage Único, Reserva Especial and Valbuena are such wines.
Notoriously food-friendly, long-lasting and Spain’s most widely planted grape, Tempranillo is the star variety of red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja terms Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva indicate both barrel and bottle time before release. Traditionally blended in Rioja with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano, the Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero typically stands alone. Somm Secret—Tempranillo claims many different names depending on location. In Penedès, it is called Ull de Llebre and in Valdepeñas, goes by Cencibel. Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal, Tempranillo plays an important role in Port wine.
Ribera del Duero, Spanish wine region, is located in northen Spain’s Castilla y León region, just a 2-hour drive from Madrid. While winemaking in this area goes back more than 2000 years, it was in the 1980s that 9 wineries applied for and were granted Denominación de Origen (D.O.) status. Today, more than 300 wineries call Ribera del Duero home, including some of Spain’s most iconic names.
Notable Facts Ribera’s main grape variety, Tempranillo, locally know as Tinto Fino, is perfectly suited to the extreme climate of the region, where it must survive scorching summers and frigid winters. Low yields resulting from conscientious tending to old vines planted in Ribera’s diverse soils types, give Ribera wines a distinctive depth and complexity not found in other Tempranillos. Rich and full-bodied, the spice, dark fruit and smoky flavors in a bold Ribera del Duero will pair well with roasted and grilled meats, Mexican food and tomato-based sauces.