Vega-Sicilia Unico 1986, 1990, 1994, 2006, 2008

The Jürade de Saint-Émilion du Singapour convened at Praelum on 25 May 2022 for a riotous evening of Spanish wines that produced an unexpected vertical of Vega-Sicilia Unico that I’m sure Pablo Alvarez would have been proud of. Many thanks to all for your immense generosity.

2015 Gramona Imperial Brut. Airy fizz with characters of morning dew, pomelo and clear citrus on the nose. Medium-bodied, displaying a dominance of lime topped with cool icing, oozing with refined intensity.

2010 Temperancia Toro, courtesy of Marc. Interesting bouquet of red fruits, wild berries, bramble and bush. Slightly reductive. Generously proportioned with juicy succulence and structured intensity, showing good control and balance with fine linearity and sleek acidity.

2015 Masdeu De Scala Dei, courtesy of Russ. Good lift of raspberries and dark currants with a hint of burnt. Rounded with excellent presence of fruit on a base of earthy minerals though its tannins are still quite sharply accentuated, finishing with an afternote of medicinal powder.

2014 Otazu Bond, aired for six hours prior. Poured from magnum. Deep plummy tones and dark currants dominate. Medium-full. Considerably more open than before, well-integrated with characters of toffee and licorice but its tannins gained further traction over time, becoming a little too intense and unsettled.

2016 Dominio del Áquila Ribera del Duero Riserva. Deep purple. Medium-bodied. Rather bright and open, imbued with warm ripe fruit, showing good detail and integration.

2016 Quiñón de Valmira, courtesy of Russ. Medium-bodied. Open with a soft velvety depth of red fruits and currants. Darkly delicious, showing good verve and detail. Drinking well. Made of 100% grenache.

2011 La Rioja Alta Gran Riserva, courtesy of Sean. Deep crimson, exuding secondary characters of haw and preserved red fruits. Medium-full but soft, open with good presence of fruit and refined acidity, culminating in a glowing finish.

2008 Vega-Sicilia Tinto Valbuena 5º, courtesy of Kieron. Good colour. Softly contoured, imbued with very fine presence of ripe red fruits that impart a certain velvety warmth, underscored with sweet tannins and understated acidity.

1986 Vega-Sicilia Unico Riserva, courtesy of Ewen. Deep crimson. Surprisingly shut though softly contoured with velvety warmth, imbued with the distilled presence of mature red fruits and mulberries. Beautifully mellow, still fresh and alluring. Good balance.

1990 Vega-Sicilia Unico Riserva, courtesy of Russ. Deep crimson. Ripe raspberries, cherries and red fruits dominate, the superb ripeness shining through the mellow sophisticated tannins, showing excellent integration between the fruit and restrained acidity, laced with a dash of sweetness throughout its lovely length.

1994 Vega-Sicilia Unico Riserva, courtesy of Mr Co. Forward notes of varnish with good lift. Medium-bodied. Still quite generously layered with mature red fruits that have blended well with recessed tannins and secondary characters of cedar and powdered minerals, oozing with a trace of sweetness throughout its length, proffering fine detail. Feminine.

2006 Vega-Sicilia Unico Riserva, courtesy of Jess. Warm, rosy hues of delicious ripe fruit that carried well onto the full-bodied palate. Surprisingly soft and relaxed, very finely balanced with subtle detailed tannins. Superbly integrated.

2008 Vega-Sicilia Unico Riserva, courtesy of Marc. Deep purple. Highly inviting warmth of ripe fruits and currants on the nose and palate. Surprisingly open, distinctly feminine in its juicy succulence and sublime acidity that imparted exciting intensity. Highly refined and beautifully integrated. This is a great Unico in the making.