1991 | Vega Sicilia | Unico

Deep ruby/purple-colored, remarkably youthful effort offering sweet vanilla notes intertwined with black currants, cherry liqueur, flowers, spice box, and tobacco leaves. Full-bodied and intense, with sweet tannin, outstanding density as well as purity, and a layered mouthfeel.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 1991 is a gorgeous, deep ruby/purple-colored, remarkably youthful effort offering sweet vanilla notes intertwined with black currants, cherry liqueur, flowers, spice box, and tobacco leaves. Full-bodied and intense, with sweet tannin, outstanding density as well as purity, and a layered mouthfeel, this unevolved 1991 needs another 3-4 years of cellaring; it should last for 20-25 years. It's a wine of great elegance as opposed to power.

• John Gilman: The 1991 is one of the great, modern classic vintages of Único, and to my palate, this shares a level of potential up there with some of the greatest vintages of yesteryear at this great estate. Interestingly, this vintage of Único is composed entirely of tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon, like the 1990, with eighty-five percent of the first grape and fifteen percent of the second. It was aged first for its first two years in large vats, followed by a year in two-hundred and twenty-five liter, new barrels (almost exclusively American oak), and then spent years four, five in older barrels. It then was racked back into the two hundred and twenty hectoliter, old oak vats for another three years before it was bottled! The wine today is just edging into its plateau of maturity, where it will no doubt reside comfortably for at least the next fifty years, and offers up a superb aromatic constellation of red and black raspberries, a touch of blood orange, red plums, cloves, cigar wrapper, a lovely base of soil tones, a hint of bell pepper (as its cabernet component is starting to emerge), cedar and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and utterly complete, with a gorgeous core of fruit, blossoming soil signature, moderate tannins and great length and grip on the complex and tangy finish. I love the backend lift here and the near endless finish. It is still early days for the 1991 Único, but this is a great, great wine in the making.

Producer Information

Vega Sicilia is widely regarded as the greatest wine producer in Spain. The estate in Ribera del Duero is known for its dense, complex red wines made principally from the Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) grape variety. Its top wine, Unico, is one of Spain's most expensive and sought-after wines. The Vega Sicilia estate covers around 1000 hectares (2470 acres) of which around 210ha (520 acres) is under vine. It has been in operation since 1864, long before the development of the appellation in which it resides, and the current wine styles date from the 1910s. Quality has become more consistent since the current owners, the Alvarez family, took over in 1982. The vineyards are planted to around 80 percent Tempranillo with the remainder taken up by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and tiny amounts of Malbec. Yields are kept low, aided by green harvesting and painstaking grape selection. Winery operations are just as meticulous, with a complicated series of rackings from large barrels to barriques, mixing old and new oak and leading to wines that are capable of long aging.

DISCLAIMER** This is a single item listing unless otherwise noted in the description. Retailer advises either in stock or in route to their location. Usually ships within one to four business days. Longer processing times may occur especially around holiday(s). Some items may become backordered or delayed without notice due to demand & will ship out upon arrival. Overseas 700ml products typically have longer processing/transit times. You can always verify product availability by calling 1-888-548-0333. Please refer to our cancellations & returns agreement or reach out to our support team at help@caskcartel.com for any additional questions.

Our dedicated team specializes in creating personalized shopping experiences. If you’re looking for a specific item or collection that isn’t appearing on our marketplace, please reach out to us at concierge@caskcartel.com or fill out the product inquiry form and one of our dedicated team members will be in touch.  Whether it’s a product you’ve experienced while traveling or a rare, hard to find item you’ve been searching for, we have an established global network of retailers with the ability to locate and source the rarest and hardest to find products.