Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The one non-vintage wine released yearly, as a blend of different harvests, is now the NV 2017 Único Release Reserva Especial, which contains wine from the 2003, 2004 and 2006 vintages—very warm and ripe years in general in Ribera del Duero, especially the 2003. As all recent vintages of Único, it is mainly Tempranillo with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. It has younger wines than last year's release, which was made up of 1996, 1998 and 2002, and the wine shows it with less developed aromas and a more fruit-forward profile. It has the classical developed Vega Sicilia bouquet, but the newer vintages used this time and the extra bottle time they have given to the 2005 Único (which is released at the same time as this), makes them show similar profiles. What I'm trying to say is that this is certainly younger than the majority of Reserva Especial to date, and the forest floor, spicy and musky aromas are combined with more primary notes of fruit. The palate has the polished texture and the very fine tannins that are the signature of this cuvée, and a very long and tasty finish. It's quite approachable, but should also be able to develop in bottle.
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Wine Spectator
This red is medium-bodied but dense, offering cherry, tobacco, tea and baking spice flavors, with notes of underbrush and loamy earth. Balanced, showing firm tannins and orange peel acidity. Old-school elegance. A blend of 2005, 2006 and 2007 vintages. Drink now through 2026.
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Wine Enthusiast
A blend of multiple vintages of Tempranillo and other grapes, the nose offers muddled, overripe fruit scents. Grabby, pulling tannins make for a firm palate, while this tastes of brambly berry and plum along with a touch of spice. The finish shows a the combination of oxidation and raisiny flavors.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.