VEGA SICILIA Unico Gran Reserva 2004 Bottle

Description

Vega Sicilia Único 2004, tasted from magnum, is a magnificent Spanish icon in superb form. The Wine Advocate awards it 98 points, calling it “a revelation”: fine, elegant and beautifully balanced, with emerging tertiary character and the unmistakable Vega Sicilia perfume. James Suckling’s 98 points reveal tight, refined tannins, blackcurrant, wild blackberry, tar, dried leaves and oregano, while Decanter’s 98 highlights sumptuous berry aromas, sweet spices, white pepper and wonderfully smooth tannins. Wine Enthusiast also gives 98, praising its silky, expansive palate of baked berries, herbs, cocoa and toast—“an amazingly complete, exemplary wine”. Vinous scores it 96, finding cassis, cherry compote, tobacco, leather and violet. Jancis Robinson’s 19+ points describe its “exquisite intricacy” and “stunning” length. A superbly poised, decades-lived classic.

*****

THE WINE ADVOCATE 98 points
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
Drink Date: 2016 - 2044
The 2004 Único magnum was a revelation. It's very fine, elegant and balanced, starting to show more tertiary notes and the Vega Sicilia perfume. It's medium to full-bodied with a fine thread and very good balance. You can drink this now, but it should go on for decades. This contains as much as 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. 2,227 magnums produced. Artwork by Luis Feito.

JAMES SUCKLING 98 points
A very classy Unico with tight, fine-grained tannins. Savory tar and dried leaves mingle with blackcurrant and wild blackberry, alongside hints of dried oregano. So refined and driven. You can feel the cabernet character shining through. This will go a long way. 87% tempranillo and 13% cabernet sauvignon. Tasted from magnum. Drink or hold.

DECANTER 98 points
Tasted by: Sarah Jane Evans MW (at Vega Sicilia anniversary tasting, 06 Sep 2022) Part of Spanish red wines for Christmas: no expense spared
Drinking Window: 2022 - 2048
Sumptuously aromatic with baskets of berries. Arrives in the mouth as promised on the nose. For enjoying already with its plump fruit, layered with sweet spices and a tang of white pepper. The tannins come in smoothly. This vintage is distinctive for being the last to have such a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (13%). I gave this the identical score in 2016. A ‘typical’ winter followed by a mild spring, warm summer with rain ‘at the right time’. 15 months in large-capacity wooden vats, 17 months in new barrels, then another 26 months in large-capacity wooden vats. Released in 2014. 87,516 bottles, 2,227 magnums, 156 double magnums and five Imperials. Tasted from magnum.

WINE ENTHUSIAST 98 points
Lightly baked and hinting at raisin and fine herbs, the bouquet on this benchmark Spanish red enfolds aromas of tobacco, moss and ripe tomato. In the mouth, it's elegant and silky but also full and expansive. Flavors of baked berry fruits, baking spices, herbs and cocoa finish with a light coating of toast. This is an amazingly complete, exemplary wine that's just entering its prime. If past vintages of Unico are an indication, it will age well through 2035. — Michael Schachner

VINOUS 96 points
From: Focus on Spain (Sep 2014)
(roughly 85% tempranillo and 15% cabernet sauvignon; aged for a total of seven years in large oak vats, new small barrels, used small barrels and large oak vats to rest before bottling, in that order): Inky ruby: doesn't look like a ten-year old wine. A heady, intensely perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and dark berries, vanilla, pipe tobacco, new leather and potpourri, with a subtle mineral flourish. Spicy, sweet and expansive, offering palate-staining cherry compote and cassis flavors with exotic violet and chewing tobacco qualities. Deepens and gains spiciness on the smooth, gently tannic finish, which lingers with superb focus and tenacity.
- By Josh Raynolds on September 2014

JANCIS ROBINSON 19+ points
Strawberry, cherry – very Pinot-esque at first, but the power and weight puts it in a more robust variety. Lovely garrigue herbiness and superb length. Only just entering its optimal period. There is such exquisite intricacy to the fruit! Stunning. (RH)