Vega Sicilia - Ribera del Duero Unico 2014

Decanter

About the wine:

Powerful aromas of fine oak. The wine is lively, fresh and unctuous, blossoming with redcurrant and red cherry. Still very young, it is full-bodied and rounded, but still lively and fresh. The tannins are firm but well-balanced. This wine promises a long life, but is remarkably accessible now. The 2014 vintage followed a mild winter and a warmer spring and summer. 2028-2048

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

The 2014 Único was produced with grapes from 40 hectares of vines selected from the 210 hectares owned by the winery. The grapes were harvested between September 20 and October 3, and the blend was 94% Tinto Fino and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts, with malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. The first part of the ageing took place in 225-liter barrels and the second in 20,000-liter oak vats, with 10 years of ageing between oak and bottle. It's a vintage that combines power and elegance; it's concentrated yet subtle. I had the unique opportunity to taste it in magnum a year ago and was truly impressed. This tasting was a continuation of those sensations. 2014 was a good vintage in the area, a year with good rainfall and a big harvest, not as powerful as 2012 or 2015 but a year with finesse. The wine seems very balanced, less alcoholic and with integrated oak, crisp, fresh and still young. It's a fairly classic wine, fine-boned, elegant but also powerful, a bit like the Únicos of yesteryear. This is undoubtedly one of the best vintages of recent times. It has an alcohol content of 14%, a pH of 3.85 and an acidity measured in tartaric acid of five grams per liter of wine. This is one of Único's greatest vintages and it seems that the years ending in four - 1994, 2004, 2014 (but not 84, which was not produced) - are very good here. We'll have to wait and see about the 2024. 2026-2044

Vinous A. Galloni

About the wine:

Unico 2014 is predominantly Tempranillo with an additional 6% pinch of Cabernet Sauvignon, both from the eponymous estate in Ribera del Duero. Aged extensively in barriques and large oak vats, the combination of aging methods brings out the nuances of the wine in what has been a generous year. The glass is a deep garnet red. The aromas offer notes of licorice and cedar, as well as nuances of orange peel, petit four, cola and pine. There's a background of ripe black fruit. The palate is dry and full-bodied, with a chalky texture and supple tannins that contribute to the wine's complexity. A nuanced red in its infancy. 2023-2040

James Suckling

About the wine:

A refined, ethereal and elegant Unico. Pure layers of blended pepper, smoked paprika, blackberries and spicy black fruits. Notes of orange zest and flowers. Spicy, with tight tannins. Impressive length. 94% tempranillo and 6% cabernet sauvignon. Tasted from a magnum. Very fine evolution. Try it when it comes out in 2026 or later.