Tempos Vega Sicilia Unico Reserva Especial (2019 Release)
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
It is a non-vintage Vega Sicilia and a respect for tradition. Unico Reserva Especial 2019 is composed of 59 barrels including vintages 2006, 2007 and 2009.
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
Vintages blended seamlessly together. Unique to Vega Sicilia. The tobacco, spice and earthy depth here is terrific. Very complex iodine and almost oyster shell minerals. An array of red and black cherries and plums. Very complex. Very fresh. A blend of 2006, 2007 and 2009. Try in 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As I've seen in recent years, the non-vintage blend NV Único Reserva Especial 2019 Release contains younger wines than what the older releases used to me made up of. In this case, it's 2006, 2007 and 2009 and in fact contains wine from the current release of Único, so not much older. It's mostly Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo) and some Cabernet Sauvignon. It had a slightly longer élevage in oak, as the blend was put in bottle in June 2015, at the same time as the 2009 Único; therefore, the 2006 and 2007 components were in oak for a longer time. It has a similar character to the 2009, perhaps a little more subtle and elegant but not really more complex, with some tannins and a medium-bodied palate.
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Wine & Spirits
Deliciously retro, this is a taste of 19th-century Spain, when it was accepted practice to blend vintages to improve a sketchy year or, in this case, to offer the best possible wine from the cellar. Pablo Alvarez, the proprietor of Vega-Sicilia, holds back less than ten percent of each vintage of Unico for Reserva Especial; this latest release contains wines from 2006, 2007 and 2009. It has the supple luxury of the best Spanish leather, the spicy warmth of dried figs and dates yielding a cool, silken freshness, as if oxygen could reinvest that fruit with juiciness. Elegant and almost mystically complex, this is an ethereal pleasure of Old Spain.
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Wine Spectator
This red is rich yet refined. Cigar box, orange peel, licorice and spice notes frame a core of cherry, dried herb, mint and mineral flavors. The wine is firm but polished, with well-integrated tannins and lively acidity. Old-school, harmonious and graceful. Tinto Fino and Cabernet Sauvignon.
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.