Winemaker Notes
It's a non-vintage Vega Sicilia and a respect for tradition. Unico Reserva Especial 2020 is composed of 59 barrels including vintages 2008, 2009 and 2010.
This wine is ready to drink now holding a potential ageing window of approximately 40 - 60 years if kept in ideal conditions: constant temperature of 12-14 ºC and 60% relative humidity.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
To be released in 2020, the NV Único Reserva Especial 2020 Release is a non-vintage blend of 59 barrels from 2008, 2009 and 2010, mostly Tempranillo with some Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has been getting closer to the style of the Único, and the blend is from vintages very close to the current release of Único, but somehow this year I think the blend has added some complexity to the bottled wine, which has the heart and soul of the 2010 vintage. In fact, they told me they are keeping more wine to have some older vintages to blend for this Reserva Especial, because in the last few years, the wine has been a little too young for the style that it used to have in the past. This has finesse and some of the Burgundian style of the blends of yesteryear. 17,071 bottles and 214 magnums produced. It was bottled in June 2016.
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James Suckling
Love the complexity and intensity on the nose with cedar, tobacco, dried red pepper and dark fruit. Full body. Dense and very layered with chocolate-milk, vanilla and spice undertones to the ripe fruit. Goes on for minutes. A rich and decadent wine. A blend of 2008, 2009 and 2010. Drink now, but even better in 2022 and onwards.
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Wine & Spirits
Unico Reserva Especial stands apart. Gonzalo Iturriaga heads up Vega-Sicilia’s winemaking team, which begins to blend lots of Unico in the sixth year of aging. For this 2020 release, the five-member team decided on a blend of wines harvested in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The wine’s dynamic flavor complexity captures the essence of Ribera del Duero in its austerity and grace. It has the flavor of a black fruit that only exists in the tiny berries of ancient vines grown on north-facing hills in the gypsum-rich clay-and-limestone soils of Valbuena de Duero, in the province of Valladolid. It’s a fresh, brisk blend with deep bass notes of mushrooms and leather while scents of rose petals and black plums rise to contrast them. As chewy as a black mushroom, as meaty as grass-fed beef, this lasts with a quiet red-fruit glow, with the freshness of the cold sun. Reserva Especial will develop for decades, and this is a particularly impressive release.
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Wine Spectator
This generous red offers rich flavors of plum, currant, licorice, tea and forest floor. Well-integrated tannins and orange peel acidity keep this focused, in a traditional style. Harmonious and long. Tinto Fino and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2030.
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.