Tasting Notes - Vega Sicilia Dinner

This was a dinner event held at the Jockey Club Darby Room in May, 2005. The owner and winemake of Bodegas Vega Scilia ( Spain ) were here to introduce some of their wines. Frankly, the food at the Darby was so so. Conception and execution was not quite there so I won't bother... on to the wines!!

Pintia '01 : Nose somewhat closed good balance of fruit & oak with moderate tannins, high acidity, 88pts Pintia '02 : Another story - nose black&stewed fruits, hints of sweetness, coarse tannins, good balance, somewhat abbreviated/clipped finish. Probably needs ~5 years to tame some of those tannins. Drinking now - would require a couple hours of air : 91pts

Alion '00 : red fruits, good acidity, firm tanins:89 pts Alion '01 : Now we are getting somewhere. Slightly reticent nose of black fruits, occasional hints/wafts of alcohol, fine tannins, high acidity, finish is good though not remarkable. : 93pts

Valbuena '00 : Red fruits, nose somewhat closed, acidity showing through, firm tannins similiar to the Alion. To me seems more of a "classic" vintage than a fruit driven one. 92pts

Valbuena '99: Nose somewhat hessitant but defintely fruit driven concentration and contrast to '00 - this is much bigger so acidity not so noticeable. Took good part of the night to really start showing its stuff. 94pts.

Unico '94: Uhm wow, what can be said. This is an amazing one even among other vintages. Red/black/stewed fruits all in one. Expansive wine in mid palate, complexity mind boggling. Precocious even now with extremely fine tannins and great acidity, superb length and lingering finish. 97+pts

Unico '91: Still Precocious young and vibrant , fruit driven wine. Very balanced and proportioned wine. Would benefit from further aging to gain complexity and secondary notes. 94pts

Unico Reserva Especial ( blend of 85,90,91) : This wine is a chameleon and kept changing over time. At first not very impressive especially next to the '91 it felt a bit pale in comparison. Over time, it gained weight and the mid palate filled out. This one just kept playing tricks. 94 pts.

Unico '81: Well , well this is da stuff. 2ndary notes of leather, leaves, earthy notes along with the fruit ( not so dominant now). very fine tannins and great finish. Between the '91 and '81 is a choice between fruit and maturity/complex however - with food there is no question the '81 is the one I would pick. 95 pts.

Unico '53: Amazing Grace!! You could never belive this was a 52 year old wine if you looked at the color. Sheer mystical balance of fruit and 2ndary notes ( leather, leaves , earth , dried figs) , elegance, finesse, expansive and complex without being thick and syrupy.. Finish that goes on an on... 98+ pts

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