VEGA SICILIA Unico Gran Reserva 2012 Bottle

Description

Vega Sicilia Único 2012 is an exceptional vintage that exemplifies the estate's commitment to quality, featuring a blend of 95% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. This remarkable wine has received significant acclaim, including 97 points from James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast, and 96 points from The Wine Advocate. Suckling praises its aromas of ripe blackcurrants, dark tar, and spices, noting its intensity and refined texture. Wine Enthusiast highlights its lush layers of milk chocolate and blackberry fruit, complemented by elegant, structured tannins. Decanter awarded it 95 points, emphasising its vibrant red fruit and firm tannic grip. This outstanding wine is perfect for immediate enjoyment or cellaring until 2035, promising exceptional complexity and elegance.

*****

Of the almost 1,000 hectares that make up the Vega Sicilia estate, 210 are dedicated to the cultivation of vines, with nineteen different types of soil and fifty-five plots with very specific features. In the extraordinary management of these soils, the influence of the course of the River Duero and the passageof time have been crucial. Forty of these hectares are used to produce Unico, which is aged for a minimum of ten years between barrel and bottle, one of the longest ageing processes in the world. Both French and American oak are used, in new and used 225-litre barrels and 22,000-litre vats. Though long and complex, this maturation technique works wonders: the wines gain a myriad of nuances, a precise texture, and a wonderful depth over time. Thanks to this incredible terroir and unique ageing process,
Unico can continue developing for decades.

The Vintage
After a fairly dry winter, spring began with moderate temperatures and abundant rainfall until early May. Temperatures then began to rise, reaching a high of 42ºC on the 26th and 27th of June. There was a notable absence of spring frost, which allowed a full potential crop to develop. The summer was then very dry and warm, with zero rain in July and just 0.5mm in August; late September rain finally helped the ripening process conclude successfully. With outstanding fruit health, high colour intensity and extremely ripe tannins with good ageing potential, 2012 is an excellent vintage.

WINE ENTHUSIAST 97 points
Milk chocolate, butterscotch and black cherry dominate the nose on this deep-violet-colored wine. Rich flavors of black plum, black cherry, chocolate-covered espresso bean and lavender are nestled into a framework of deep-set tannins that drop off into a spice-filled finish. Drink now through 2052 — Mike DeSimone

JAMES SUCKLING 97 points
I like the intensity to this, with dark tar and smoky notes followed by graphite, tobacco, bitter cacao and dark fruit. Powerful yet tight and compact, with firm and polished tannins. Structured and so long. Tasted from magnum. Try after 2023.

JANCIS 18++ points
Relatively pale maturing crimson. Rich velvety complex cocktail of aromas. Spicy, exotic – even explosive on the nose. Really rather majestic and powerful with the tannic structure of an intense bordeaux. Our notes suggest this ‘can be enjoyed immediately’ despite its potential to age but I’d say it’s even less approachable than the 2014. Tannic, even inky, grip on the end but clearly there is masses there. (JR)

THE WINE ADVOCATE 96 points
Drink Date: 2024 - 2035
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." - Luis Gutiérrez, 30th Dec 2021.

DECANTER 95 points
Tasted by: Sarah Jane Evans MW
(at Vega Sicilia anniversary tasting, 06 Sep 2022)
Part of Vega Sicilia Único: anniversary vertical tasting of 40 vintages
Drinking Window: 2030 - 2045
Bright red cherry aromatics combine with delicate sensations of oak. In the mouth, the keynote red fruits remain, while the palate is tighter and the tannins are firm and bold. A wine that needs time to integrate and soften the grip. Rainy spring, dry and warm summer, September rains. 24.5-25.9 hl/ha. Spent one year in new oak barrels, one year in used barrels and three years in large-format tanks. Bottled June 2018. 88,188 bottles, 3,537 magnums, 328 double magnums, 55 Imperials and five Salmanazars. Tasted from magnum.