2012 Vega Sicilia Unico Ribera del Duero 750 ml

• Tinto fino
• 2012
• Spain
• Ribera del Duero

• The Story

  A world-class icon that is notoriously hard to get, Vega Sicilia’s iconic Único stands with Bordeaux’s First-Growths and well-known cult Napa Cabs. The dual 97-point 2012 edition has reaped tons of critical acclaim: Wine Spectator called it “long and creamy, offering both power and grace,” and Decanter praised it as “a textbook example of controlled, red fruited elegance.” A world-class wine, through and through. 

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• Wine Facts

  • Fruit Intensity
  • Oak Intensity
  • Body
  • Acidity
  • Tannin

  • ABV 14.50%
  • 1.5 hours
  • Now - 2040
  • 95% Tinto fino
    5% Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Serving temperature - 58°
  • Cork

• Wine Access Tasting Note

  Deep and concentrated dark ruby color. Aromas of rich, dark fruit cradled in a basket of lilacs and violets, accented by Claro tobacco and exotic spices. The mouthfeel is robust yet elegant, with stern tannins framing layers of blackberry, cherry, and plum, plus plenty of mineral components, all leading to a persistent finish. A majestic wine for the long haul, with plenty of muscle and charisma. Drink now–2040.

• Food Pairings

  • Hard Cheese
  • Red Meat

• Critic Reviews

  97 pts

  James Suckling

  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.

  97 pts

  Wine Enthusiast

  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.

  96 pts

  Wine Advocate

  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.

  96 pts

  Wine Spectator

  This is at once fresh and elegant on first impression, with lovely hints of fragrant Turkish bazaar spices, game and dried mint lacing the crème de cassis, violet, and black and red licorice notes. Gliding across the palate, buoyed by fresh acidity and sculpted tannins, this expands to show deep notes of tarry smoke, fig cake, espresso and iron alongside the appealing fruit and spice. Long and creamy, offering both power and grace. Tinto Fino and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2037. 7,349 cases made, 601 cases imported.