2006 Vega Sicilia Unico Cosecha, Castille-La Mancha

Comprising 94% Tinto Fino and 6% Cabernet-Sauvignon.

Of the 1.000 hectares which make up the Vega Sicilia estate, 210 are used for wine growing, under 19 soil-types divided into 52 plots with very specific characteristics. The influence of the Duero river’s flow and the passage of time have been vital in forming these soils.

40 of these hectares are used to produce Unico with a minimum 10-year ageing process, including both barrel and bottle, probably the world’s longest. 225-litre French and American oak barrels, both new and used, 20,000-litre tanks.

I tasted the 2006 Único again, and it's clearly the best Único produced in the last few years, to which I don't find much logic, as on paper 2004 and 2005 were better years in Ribera del Duero. However it is, the 2006 is a fantastic modern Vega Sicilia in the making, powerful and clean, still very young and marked by the élevage with a whiff of American oak and a creamy texture in the palate. It should age very well for a very long time. I'd wait to pull the cork, even if it's drinkable and quite showy already. This is the current vintage in 2018, even if the 2007 and 2008 were released before it and even before the 2005. In 2019 they will release the 2009.

98 points, Luis Gutiérrez, September 1 2018, Drink: 2020-35, The Wine Advocate

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