Wine Advisor
Vega Sicilia, Unico 2000
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Handford's 21st Anniversary tasting in Holland Park. The millennial Unico has just a touch of sur-maturite on the nose, which I think will subside with time. Seduction aromas of black plum, wild strawberry, honeysuckle with a faint mote of lavender. The palate is rich, hedonistic and is out to make a statement. This is a voluptuous, ravishing Unico with dark cherries, firm tannins, primal black fruit cloaked in glycerine towards the heady finish. It is almost overpowering, but the balance is there and I suspect those with the nous to cellar this for say, thirty years will have one helluva Unico on their hands. Tasted October 2010.
Reviewed by: Jay S Miller
In the absence of a 2001 Unico, Vega Sicilia has re-released the 2000 Unico which I reviewed in Issue 189. The 2000 Unico is deep crimson-colored with an ethereal perfume aided by its extended upbringing. Aromas of Asian spices, lavender, incense, truffle, and confiture of black fruits are compelling. Sweet, forward, rich, and hedonistic, it nevertheless has the balance and structure to continue evolving for another 5-10 years. In strong vintages Vega Sicilia drinks well at age 50 and I would expect the same of the 2000. Bodegas Vega Sicilia’s Valbuena receives 3 years in barrel and 2 years in bottle prior to release. Each year Vega Sicilia releases a small amount of a multi-vintage Unico Reserva Especial blended to reflect the house style of Vega Sicilia at its very best. The vagaries of vintage are blended away leaving a wine that is, in my opinion, better than any of the single vintage wines except in the very greatest years. It is a fascinating exercise to taste the Unico beside the Reserva Especial. Importer: Christopher Cannan, Europvin, www.europvin.com
Reviewed by: Jay S Miller
The 2000 Unico is deep crimson-color with an ethereal perfume aided by its extended upbringing. Aromas of Asian spices, lavender, incense, truffle, and confiture of black fruits are compelling. Sweet, forward, rich, and hedonistic, it nevertheless has the balance and structure to continue evolving for another 5-10 years. In strong vintages Vega Sicilia drinks well at age 50, and I would expect the same of the 2000. Bodegas Vega Sicilia remains a benchmark for the world’s great red wines. The Valbuena bottling receives 3 years in barrel and 2 years in bottle prior to release. Importer: Christopher Cannan, Europvin; www.europvin.com
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
2000 was not a heralded vintage in most of Spain, unlike in Bordeaux, but the turn of the century produced a very fine 2000 Único, which, from magnum, showed well, with good acidity. It was even a little closed but without the purity of, say, 2004. It has abundant, slightly dusty tannins and one of Vega Sicilia's signatures: a little volatility that lifts up the wine. It's evolving faster than the 2004, which to me is the benchmark of the decade. It was produced with 93% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and achieved 14% alcohol. 2,685 magnums produced. Artwork Castilviejo.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The millennial Unico was tasted twice in January and June 2012. It has a Bordeaux- inspired bouquet that demonstrates more austerity than the 2004 with herbaceous notes infusing the brambly black fruit: smoke, forest floor, wild mint and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with bright blackberry, strawberry and Morello on the entry. It is extremely well balanced and more feminine than the nose suggests. There is also impressive tension and vivacity towards the finish. There is great backbone here, a solid and obdurate Unico at the moment, but it will surely mellow in bottle. 108,536 bottles produced. Drink 2018-2030+. Importer: Christopher Cannan. SRP $425/bottle.
Reviewed by: Jay S Miller
The 2000 Unico is deep crimson-colored with an ethereal perfume aided by its extended upbringing. Aromas of Asian spices, lavender, incense, truffle, and confiture of black fruits are compelling. Sweet, forward, rich, and hedonistic, it nevertheless has the balance and structure to continue evolving for another 5-10 years. In strong vintages Vega Sicilia drinks well at age 50 and I would expect the same of the 2000. Bodegas Vega Sicilia remains a benchmark for the world’s great red wines. The Valbuena bottling receives 3 years in barrel and 2 years in bottle prior to release. On the occasion of my visit in May 2010, the three Reserva Especials already in bottle and awaiting release were tasted side by side. They are identified (for the purposes of this review only) as the 2013 Release, the 2012 Release, and the 2011 Release. I was not told what vintages are in each bottling but it actually makes little difference. The Reserva Especials are blended to a house style designed to reflect Vega Sicilia at its very best. The vagaries of vintage (as reflected in Unico) are blended away leaving a wine that is, in my opinion, better than any of the single vintage wines with the possible exception of the 1942. Importer: Christopher Cannan, Europvin; www.europvin.com
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Deep red. High-pitched aromas of redcurrant, dried cherry, potpourri and spicecake. Silky in texture and alluringly spherical, offering seamless red fruit and floral pastille flavors and late notes of blood orange and Asian spices. Nothing heavy or fat here and yet this delivers the impact of a large-scaled wine. The finish is expansive and extremely persistent, leaving notes of rose and sweet red fruits behind. I find this to be drinking extremely well now but have no doubt that it will live a long life on its balance. (I also had the chance to re-taste the 1991 Unico and it is showing superb clarity and finesse, a seamless texture and suave red fruit and floral character. It is delicious now but holds excellent for further development in bottle. On this tasting, I scored it a solid 96 points.)
About the Producer
The wines produced by Bodegas Vega-Sicilia are known as the "kings of wine" in the Spanish wine world and are among the most admired in the world. It has become Spain's most recognizable and expensive wine for over a century. In 1864, the wealthy Eloy Lecanda family acquired a vineyard on the banks of the Duero River in northwestern Spain and named it Bodegas de Lecanda (later "Bega"). Winery of Sicilia"), began a complex and wonderful saga. As early as the early days of the establishment of the garden, the Lacanda family introduced international grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec from Bordeaux, France, to make up for the Spanish ace grape Tempranillo. This is also the beginning of the introduction of French varieties in Spain. At the end of the 19th century, the Vega Sicilia winery began producing its first wines, bottled and sold exclusively in the Rioja region. At this time, the Vega Sicilia winery was not well-known and the production was very limited, and it did not start to improve until the 20th century. Vega Sicilia Winery was originally called "Lacanda Winery", and later changed its name to "Antonio Herrero Winery". It was not until the early 20th century that the current winery name was finally determined. In the 1920s, some vintages from Vega Sicilia were featured in international wine festivals. From the 1940s to the 1960s, Don Jesus Anadon, a highly influential and legendary winemaker in Spain, was responsible for brewing many high-quality vintages. Until 1964, when the winery was sold to a Neumann family from the Czech Republic or Venezuela, Anato continued to work at the winery. In 1982, El Enebro S.A., a company of the Alvarez family, purchased the winery and vineyards of Vega Sicilia from Newman, and since then Vega Sicilia has been taken over by the Alvarez family . After the new owner entered the vineyard, he took a series of reform measures, including formulating a long-term development plan for the winery, adding new brewing equipment, increasing efforts to develop overseas markets, and continuing the position of chief winemaker Anato. This was seen as the most important move, and at the same time, Mariano Garcia, a young winemaker who was already well-known at the time, was hired as Anato's assistant, a decision that also created Vega Sicilia. After 20 years of glory. The current CEO of Vega Sicilia is Pablo Alvarez, an energetic and visionary manager. The winery still practices innovative winemaking techniques and produces wines of superior quality and inspiring. In addition, the estate's owner has started an exciting new project in the Toro appellation. The vineyards of Vega Sicilia are located on a 700-meter-high hillside on the south bank of the Duero River. The natural environment there is extremely harsh, with cold winters and frosty springs. It is such a harsh natural environment forging the tough nature of the vine. In addition, the sun is abundant, and the temperature difference between day and night is very large, so that the grapes can maintain sufficient acidity while ripe, and the wines produced have both good ripeness and a strong sense of structure. The vineyard has calcareous clays with excellent drainage and deep potential, ideal for growing grapes. The average age of the vines is more than 30 years, and the age of the vines in some gardens is even more than 70 years old. At the same time, in order to make the grapes get more nutrients, Vega Sicilia also pays great attention to controlling the planting amount per hectare, and the planting density is extremely high. Low, about 2,200 plants per hectare. This figure is already much lower than the regulations of the Spanish D.O., and even lower than the planting density of the Bordeaux Grand Crus. Since its establishment in 1864, Vega Sicilia Winery has been using traditional winemaking techniques in order to produce wines with the least human interference. The fermentation of the wine takes place in oak barrels, stainless steel barrels and epoxy-lined concrete vats, followed by malolactic fermentation in epoxy-lined concrete vats. The winery also uses French and American casks of varying sizes. The Unico is quite flexible, typically aged in small oak barrels (new and old) for 2-4 years, and then transferred to large oak barrels for blending and purification. Unique Collections are only made in the best vintages, and some vintages (like 1970) are said to be kept in wooden barrels for up to 16 years.
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Package Size
1 x 75cl
