Vega Sicilia - Unico 2006
Price: $575.00
| Producer | Vega Sicilia |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Ribera del Duero |
| Varietal | Tempranillo |
| Vintage | 2006 |
| Sku | 02318 |
Vega Sicilia Description
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.
A long complex process for a legendary wine. Like UNICO 2005, UNICO 2006 was bottle aged for an additional two years and rewards us with an ample, profound, silky wine to keep in memory.
2006 VINEYARD CYCLE: Winter was particularly cold, including winter frost, frequent rain and snow at the end of February. Budding took place the third week of April due to the rise in temperature.
Spring registered normal rainfall but abnormally high temperatures which brought forward showers the first week of April. There were cold nights at the end of May, beginning of June, though, fortunately the plant did not suffer significant damage.
High temperatures continued along throughout June leading to an early flowering. Summer was normal with the beginning of budding the second week of August. High temperatures on the last two weeks of August and first week of September provoked early ripening in some plots, starting harvest September 9th. Showers in mid-September delayed the rest of the harvest reaching a well-balanced ripeness and tremendous sanity.
STORAGE, SERVING AND DRINKING WINDOW: These wines are ready for drinking now but may potentially be stored for approximately 40 - 60 years if kept in optimum conditions (54-58 ºC) at 60% relative humidity, and constant temperature, protected from direct light.
James Suckling: 100 Points
Incredibly floral and beautiful with dark berry, spice, cedar and mint. Chinese plums. Asian spices. Bark. Tea. Full body, dense and so soft and complex. The finish goes on for minutes. Endless and fine. January 2017 release. This reminds me of the gorgeous 1991 or 1964. Drink forever. A wine that you want to spend time with.
Wine Advocate: 98 Points
The iconic wine from Vega Sicilia in the market in 2018 is the 2006 Único, which was released after the sale of the 2007 and 2008 vintages because they thought it needed more time in bottle. 2006 was an early vintage, with the harvest beginning the 9th of September. This year the bottled blend is 94% Tinto Fino, the local strain of Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero, with 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has a long élevage, around ten years split between new and old barriques (French and American), in 20,000-liter oak vats and bottle. It had a very developed and classical nose, very expressive, ripe and exuberant with an herbal twist, combining classical and modern characteristics and with a good balance between youth and development. It's a more classical expression of the Vega Sicilia character, closer to the wines from yesteryear than the last few vintages. It has to be one of the best recent vintages of Único, for me clearly better than 2005. This 2006 was bottled in June 2012. 93,993 bottles, 2,552 magnums, 165 double magnums and six imperials were produced. In 2019 they will release the 2009.
-Luis Gutiérrez
