Único 2008 150cl

2008 was a challenging vintage in Ribera del Duero, a vintage marked by a severe frost on September 24th. The vineyards of Vega Sicilia were saved by some anti-frost burners that really made the difference. Even though, there are only some 70,000 bottles of 2008 Único, a wine that will be released around March 2016 after the 2007, and before they sell 2005 and 2006. It's a fresher, more mineral version of Vega, and very much Vega in character. It has a certain aroma that I cannot define that I also found in the 2011 Valbuena. The palate is surprisingly polished; the wine is quite accessible from now on, with fine tannins and a subtle thread of acidity going through the core. This is a lighter version of Único, but one style I like very much; it's a wine that should drink well throughout its life. A triumph for the vintage conditions.<br/><br/>A couple of weeks before my appointment at Vega Sicilia, the big news broke: Javier Ausás, long time technical director at the Vega Sicilia group (recently renamed Tempos Vega Sicilia, a name that is a little pompous if you ask me), was leaving. A few days before I went, his replacement was named: Gonzalo Iturriaga. Who? That's exactly what everyone thought too! Iturriaga is an agricultural engineer with some experience in Ribera, one year in the early days of Alonso del Yerro, and then five years in Extremadura in charge of the wines of Habla, an ambitious project in a southwestern zone of Spain off the beaten track that didn't really take off. He spent his last five years selling yeasts and other oenological products for the French company Lamothe-Abiet, a CV that a priori looks a little poor for someone who is taking over the most prestigious winery from Spain. But let's give him time -- it will take a few years until we see any of his wines in the market -- and hope for the best.<br/>Other than that, they are releasing Único 2007 and 2008 before they sell 2005 and 2006, as the former are lighter vintages, and the latter are more powerful and require/benefit from some time in bottle. After tasting the wines, I followed the opened bottles and was a little worried to see that the wines showed plenty of oxidative aromas the day after, not what I expect for wines designed for a long and slow development in bottle.

Opaque ruby. Powerful, expansive aromas of cherry liqueur, cassis, pipe tobacco, incense and pungent flowers show outstanding clarity and pick up a smoky mineral quality with air. Stains the palate with concentrated dark berry, bitter cherry and rose pastille flavors that are complicated by notes of mocha, cola and Indian spices. Distinctly generous in style but there's outstanding energy here as well. The gently tannic, dark-fruit-dominated finish emphatically echoes the spice and floral notes and lingers with striking persistence. Production for this bottling was cut by over half in this challenging vintage and the result shows what can happen when severe selection is applied in the vineyard and cellar. Speaking of tough years, the 2002 version of this iconic wine, from a vintage that has been ignored at best and vilified at worst, is drinking beautifully right now. In fact, it appears to have just entered its drinking window: its fruit is still a bit on the youthful side while its tannins have begun to recede. Like this 2008, it's a textbook example of what great vineyards, diligent farming and serious winemaking can accomplish under difficult circumstances.

Mitteldunkles, leuchtendes Granat. Feines, parfümiertes, vielschichtiges, aber irgendwie nobel-zurückhaltendes Bouquet, reife Beeren, Zedernduft, dominikanische Cigarren, elegant und sanft füllig. Im Gaumen geht die bereits nasal angezeigte Eleganz nahtlos weiter, im Extrakt eher rotbeerige Nuancen zeigend, dann auch Aromen von roten Pflaumen und Weichseln und einen Anklang von Dörrfrüchten vermittelnd. Ein femininer Vega Sicilia zum bereits jung geniessen. Er gehört zu den sehr guten, aber nicht zu den ganz grossen Jahrgängen. 18/20 trinken – 2032 VEGA SICILIA RESERVA ESPECIAL Und nochmals eine nicht vergleichbare Eigenheit. Es gibt kein anderes Weingut auf der Welt, welches seinen Spitzenwein nochmals mit verschiedenen, grossen Jahrgängen assembliert. Château Margaux hat dies einmal gemacht. In seiner grössten Lethargie wurden die miesen Jahrgänge 1968 und 1969 zusammen gemischt und es entstand damals ein Château Margaux «non millésime». Vega Sicilia

Savory flavors of tobacco, mineral, smoke and spice frame a core of cherry and pomegranate in this red. Harmonious and graceful, supported by well-integrated tannins and fresh acidity. Has deceptive depth and complexity. Drink now through 2028. 9,800 cases made.