2013 Vega Sicilia Unico Ribera del Duero 750 ml

• Tempranillo
• 2013
• Spain
• Ribera del Duero

• The Story

  There might be no wine more painstakingly made, patiently cellared, and passionately sought after than Vega Sicilia’s Único. Eminent critic Hugh Johnson said “Vega Sicilia is the Latour” of Spain, and their collectible Único has earned a place alongside Grand Cru Burgundy, First Growth Bordeaux, and the cult Cabernets of Napa. Único is an investment-grade wine that tends to appreciate in value, and the 2013—aged an incredible ten years in barrel, oak vat, and bottle—is the definition of a world-class wine. It earned 98 points from James Suckling and 97 from Wine Advocate.

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• Wine Facts

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

  • ABV 14.00%
  • 1.5 hours
  • Now - 2045
  • 97% Tempranillo
    3% 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–2045.

• Food Pairings

  • Hard Cheese
  • Red Meat

• Critic Reviews

  98 pts

  James Suckling

  This has a polished and complex nose of poached plums, dark cherries, tea leaves, graphite, milk chocolate and a touch of caramel. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm yet creamy tannins. Caressing, seductive and ripe, but with underlying freshness. 97% tempranillo and 3% cabernet sauvignon. Tasted from magnum. The normal bottle will be released 2023 and the magnum in 2025. Try after 2023.

  97 pts

  Wine Advocate

  I had already tasted the 2013 Único from magnum in a vertical tasting of all the magnums ever produced and was quite impressed by it (and the still unreleased 2014 that should be available in 2024). 2013 saw a rainy harvest, and the wine is subtle, elegant and fresh, complex, silky and with precision. The wine matured in 225-liter barrels in an initial phase and then in 22,000-liter oak vats until it was bottled in June 2019. This year, the final blend was 97% Tinto Fino and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon with a little less alcohol, 14%, and a pH of 3.78 and 5.2 grams of acidity, fresh and balanced, more elegant and subtler. Único often transcends the character of the vintage and doesn't follow the norm in the region, and the 2013 is a good example of that. It was a very rainy and complicated vintage; they harvested quite quickly to avoid botrytis, and while other people waited for concentration, they did not, and their approach clearly paid back. It's aromatic and floral, less dense than the 2012, subtler, more expressive and more elegant. It's clean and fresh, tasty, with very fine tannins. It's a big surprise for the vintage and one of the finest Únicos in the last few years.