Vega Sicilia Unico 2012  £389.00

Vega Sicilia Unico 2012

210 of the almost 1,000 hectares on the Vega Sicilia estate are used for vine growing, featuring 19 different types of soil and 64 plots with very specific characteristics. The influence of the course of the Douro River and time itself have played a key role in the outstanding use of these soils.

40 of these hectares are used to produce Unico, which spends at least ten years between barrel and bottle, representing one of the longest ageing processes in the world.  We use new and used 225-litre French and American oak barrels and 22,000-litre wooden vats. A long and complex, yet wonderful construction of the wines, during which they obtain endless nuances, definition, texture, and depth over time. This incredible terroir and the unique ageing process make our wines timeless when they age.

2012 is a concentrated, juicy, silky, and well-defined vintage. It is an expression that can be enjoyed immediately, but it will become incredible over time.

2012 Vintage

After a somewhat dry winter, spring began with moderate temperatures and abundant rainfall, with some 70.7 litres falling during April (the initial stages of the vine's budburst), continuing through early May. Temperatures subsequently began to rise through the rest of the month, reaching a temperature of 42 ºC in June (on 26 and 27 June).  It is worth noting that the lack of spring frosts enabled the vineyard to grow correctly. The summer was very dry with no rainfall recorded in July and only 0.5 litres in August. Temperatures remained high throughout the summer.  We had to wait until the end of September before the rains helped ensure a positive outcome for the ripening process. Notable characteristics included the healthiness, the strong colouring, and very ripe tannins suitable for ageing. An excellent vintage.

96 Points Robert Parker

The 2012 Único is released 10 years after the harvest. They produced it with the grapes from 40 of the 210 hectares of vineyards they have, with a total of 55 separate plots and 19 different soils. It's mostly 95% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that are cooled down for 24 hours and then fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. Malolactic fermentation was in stainless steel and the aging in 225-liter oak barrels and 20,000-liter oak vats for a long time as this was bottled in June 2018. 2012 is a concentrated year, warm and dry with some rain at the end of September that helped the end of the ripening process of healthy grapes with lots of color and ripe tannins. The wine has a ripe nose, with intoxicating notes of black fruit, fresh meat and blood, a spicy touch from the American oak and an earthy twist. It's a voluptuous and decadent vintage for Vega Sicilia, for those that favor years like 2006, a bit atypical, or 1999. The wine finished with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.88 and 5.1 grams of acidity (tartaric). 88,188 bottles, 3,537 magnums, 328 double magnums, 55 imperials and five Salmanazar produced.

Luiz Gutierrez