Unico, Vega Sicilia 2016

The 2016 Único was perfumed and elegant, showcasing a very good vintage in the region. Winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga started in 2015—a powerful year—and he remembers 2016 as a very balanced year, with higher yields and finer-boned wines. The winter was mild, and there was a cooler than average spring and a warm summer. September was dry, which provided healthy grapes and balanced ripening. The harvest started the 22nd of September and finished the 11th of October. The bottled wine is 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.82 and 4.8 grams of acidity. It has the old Vega perfume, intoxicating, complex and nuanced, full of personality and a very energetic palate, vibrant and fresh, not lacking power but with lots of elegance. The wine is released 10 years after the harvest, combining time in new and used American and French oak barrels and 20,000-liter oak vats, and it obviously spends plenty of time in bottle. This is a monumental vintage of Único. A total of 92,292 bottles, 3,695 magnums and some larger formats were produced. It was bottled in May 2022. Drink 2027 - 2046.

A blend of 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from the historic Vega Sicilia vineyards located between 720 and 930 m above sea level on limestone marl soils. As tradition dictates, the wine undergoes one of the longest ageing processes in the fine-wine world in Spain: a total of 10 years, beginning with fermentation in wooden vats (tinos de madera), followed by five years in barrels and large wooden tinos, and ending with extended bottle ageing until release. Total production is 92,292 bottles, 3,695 magnums, 335 double magnums, 57 imperials and 6 salmanazars.

Stylistically, this is a tertiary wine, yet far from fading. Notes of black tea, leather and earth appear with remarkable purity and precision, framed by hints of cedar and a graceful aromatic lift. The palate is unexpectedly delicate, showing integrated and delicate tannins with subtle spice – touches of clove and sandalwood – adding nuance. While 2014 and 2015 were warm years, 2016 was not cool but was certainly less warm, resulting in a wine that is slightly less concentrated, more refined and with a thread of primary brightness still intact. Shades of black cherry and cassis mingle with a distinctive pine-forest freshness, and the oak – expertly integrated – acts in a supporting role. It feels like a quiet evolution for Único: less overtly oaky, more transparent, and carrying a sense of purity that elevates the estate’s signature character rather than shifting it. A wine capable of lighting up a dining room simply by crossing it on its way to a table – and one that will bring immense pride to collectors and admirers alike.

A beautifully poised Vega that is already approachable. Everything is in harmony, showing an almost ethereal quality in contrast to the denser 2015 vintage. There s a hint of minerality paired with the blackberries and dark cherries. The tannins are firm yet softened. Medium to full body and a finish that lingers for a minute. Drink or hold.