Vinification
After fermentation, the wine stays for some time in large wooden vats. This is where and when its future is determined: Unico or Valbuena.
The superior qualities (Unico) will be aged for 12 months in new French oak barrels, then in American oak barrels for a duration which varies according to the vintage.
Then the wine is put back into the larger vats.
Unico is bottled after 6 years of ageing, on average. Then it is left to ripen in the bottle for at least 4 years.
In the greater vintages, Unico can stay longer in the oak - up to 9 years.
Storage potential
30 years.
To serve
Serve at 18°C, in a large glass, after
decanting for 5 hours (at least during the first 5 years after bottling).
Trial analysis
All Vega Sicilia wines combine concentration and elegance, intensity and typicity of the grape; complexity and length.
Valbuena is a lite bit more open and accessible than Unico and Reserva Especial, which are almost esoteric.
Here again, the key words here are concentration, complexity and length. Red and black fruit - blackcurrant, strawberry, cherry, plum, mint, figs, spices, moka, licorice, coconut, chocolate.
In tastings, Unico and Reserva Especial always feel 20 or 30 years younger than they are, mainly thanks to the underlying acidity typical of the Tempranillo.