Vega Sicilia Unico 2010 – 1.5 Litre Bottle

Introduction

The Unico Tinto is the Vega Sicilia flagship. The qualities of the Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon in different proportions are perfectly assembled in this wine. 2010 is a powerful, concentrated and ample vintage. Vega Sicilia Unico 2010 gains nuances, given sufficient time to open. A wine to enjoy long-term.

99 Points – James Suckling

This is still very tight and closed with so much depth and beauty. The linear line to this is very vertical and draws you down. It shows intense blackberry, dark chocolate, hazelnut and walnut character. Full body. Chewy yet extremely polished. Precise. Shows decadence.

98 Points – Decanter

Unico is Tinto Fino, with 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, in contrast to Valbuena No.5, which has a small dash of Merlot. It opens with alluring aromas of dark plums, spice and oak. As expected, it’s powerful, intense and very long. Still, within that, you can note the very fine tannins, the result of the assiduous attention to ageing in different types and sizes of vats over the years. There’s an element of tobacco smoke, of black fruits, of the dark plums promised in the aromas, the whole beautifully integrated. A vintage and a wine that’s hard to better. This has 25 to 30 years ahead of it, but you could also enjoy it within a few years. That’s the essence of Vega Sicilia, its interplay of youth and age ability.

97 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

I was surprised by the aromatics of the 2010 nico, cropped from a powerful and concentrated year that delivered this blend of 94% Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo) and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 14.5% alcohol and a highish pH of 3.87. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, matured in a combination of French and American oak barrels and 20,000-liter oak vats, and aged for almost six years. It feels quite ripe and somehow old-style, dominated by ripe black fruit, with a rustic and earthy touch. It has an ample palate, concentrated and powerful, with some earthy tannins.