Vega Sicilia Único: anniversary vertical tasting of 40 vintages

<p>Powerful aromas of fine oak. Arrives crisp, fresh and smooth, swelling to redcurrant and red cherry. Very youthful still, full-bodied and round, but always remaining...

<p>Look out for this on release, with its typical aromatics of red berries, violets and balsamic. It’s young, no doubt, entering with redcurrant fruit and...

<p>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...

Vibrant primary aromas of roses, oranges and fresh herbs lead into a wine full of redcurrant freshness. While 2011 is a more concentrated vintage, the...

<p>Vega Sicilia’s own notes say ‘this vintage will go down in history’. Hard to argue with that. Fabulously aromatic with layers of sumptuous fruit, elegant...

<p>Vividly aromatic. For all its 13 years it’s a fruit-forward style with a fine brambly acidity. Very complete, with chocolate, coffee, mineral notes and a...

<p>Balsamic cherry aromas. A distinct red fruit palate with crunchy acidity, offering pomegranate and cherries. As it develops in the mouth, the tannin develops giving...

<p>Bold, with earthy, meaty and floral aromas. Intense, balsamic palate, the alcohol seems more apparent here. Powerful and spicy with a concentrated finish. Say Vega...

Like 2005, this Único was bottle aged for an additional two years. In this vertical tasting, this is the first of the younger wines to...

<p>Vega Sicilia note that this vintage, like 2006, needed an additional two years ageing in bottle to present itself at its best. On the nose...

<p>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...

<p>Almost 20 years on from the vintage and this Único is full of life, with perfumed aromas and a fresh, textured palate with well-integrated tannin....

<p>Fine balsamic aromas with a lift of cherries. The palate begins fresh, with clear mineral and savoury notes, and a long, drying finish. Uncertain how...

<p>Broad, generous aromas. Brisk balsamic character to the palate, with crisp acidity, firm tannin, then mocha notes appearing on the finish. The oak ageing is...

<p>Powerful aromatics, with an interplay of tobacco, dark fruit and menthol. The palate is complex, ripe and savoury, without being blown. I appreciate the wine...

<p>A complicated year - cold spring, hot summer, intermittent rain at harvest - and the wine reveals this. It’s evolved more quickly with some ripe,...

<p>An explosive, expressive wine, alive with chocolate, strawberry, menthol and balsamic aromas. The palate reveals an equally bold structure and rich red fruit compote. The...

<p>A Único to enjoy now, with its developed aromas, supple balsamic entry and remarkably youthful palate, which is lifted by darts of citrus and declines...

<p>Fresh, lifted aromas of flowers and fruits. In the mouth, there’s a distinctive balsamic character with notes of iodine and mineral that typically appear at...

<p>Wonderfully complete: spicy, balsamic red fruit aromas; an explosion in the mouth with the layers of tannin nicely meshed with the ripe fruit. Splendidly composed....

<p>Evolved, with menthol and red fruits on the nose. The palate – with its 20% of Cabernet Sauvignon – starts with impressive flavour but it...

<p>Full-bodied and fleshy, with dark plum compote fruit overlaid by dark chocolate, menthol and a little spice; impressively complex. Cold and wet winter, warm spring...

<p>Clearly more mature, with its paler garnet colour. More developed in the mouth with tomato and red cherry preserves. Very long and fresh finish, even...

<p>Mature aromas of coffee, forest floor and balsamic fruits, before a succulent entry with redcurrants and plums meshed with brisk acidity. Displays a wonderfully spicy,...

<p>The essence of Vega Sicilia, with its tertiary development. All about forest floor, truffle and red fruits. Despite its maturity it is bright and refreshing,...

<p>Fine, savoury, elegant maturity on show here, all forest floor and fine tannins. Perhaps it’s not perfect – the acid is beginning to stand apart...

<p>A powerful, tannic Único, showing its maturity and oak ageing. Plenty of power with distinct red fruits, tobacco and roasted nuts. A cool spring, a...

<p>Glorious, wonderfully youthful and expressive, belying its age. The palate is rich and juicy, packed with energy, the tannin lies cleanly underneath and is overlaid...

<p>Lively aromatics of sweet spices and tobacco. Still fresh on the palate which displays crisp fruits. The oak makes its present felt towards the end,...

<p>Smoke and spice on the nose, then the palate opens out to a glorious interplay of black fruits, sweet spices, tannin and freshness. Deliciously complex...

<p>Definitely a vintage to enjoy now. Sliding gently into its maturity with aromas of forest floor and truffles. The palate still has a lovely juiciness,...

<p>The colour has all the signs of advancing years given the apricot garnet tones, as do the truffles and spices on the nose. Yet the...

After the glamour of 1975, the 1974 release fails to hit the high mark. The aromatics are pleasingly nutty and spicy, and the fruit is...

<p>Despite the irregular weather, this remains a profound wine. Vivid with complex aromatics, in the mouth it is a blend of balsamic characters with ripe...

<p>Some forest floor aromas, the acidity is dominant here as the rest of the wine has fallen away. A wine for the historians rather than...

<p>The nose promises cherry fruit, the palate reveals lively acidity and red apple compote with the slightest note of chalky tannin. Elegant, restrained, complete, harmonious...

<p>The initial magnum was found to be corked. Remarkably, the Vega Sicilia team tracked down another in Barcelona, some 100km away. This second bottle was...

<p>Revealing its venerable age, with layers of wood smoke, sweet spice and acidity. Fading now, but still with elements of vigour left. Temperate rainy spring,...

<p>Sixty years old at the time of tasting, and remarkably spry. The palate offers blackcurrant, bitter chocolate, menthol, cumin and white pepper, with impressive persistence...

Still aromatic with cedar and smoky cacao. With age, the palate has been stripped back to its architecture: the smooth tannin and acid framework, lacking...