vega sicilia unico gran reserva 1991 ribera del duero

the history of bodega vega sicilia began in 1848. the 2000 hectares of the estate (at the time) became a winery in 1868. in 1904, the owner domingo garramiola began to vinify his vineyard, which was mainly planted with cabernet sauvignon, malbec and merlot, imitating bordeaux methods. his work really bore fruit in 1915 when the vega sicilia unico and valbuena vintages were created. from then on, the estate was considered the best spanish winery. however, when the herero family took over the estate, it was almost impossible to get a bottle. indeed, to have the privilege of tasting a vega sicilia wine, you had to be a close friend of the family. the legend is created. at vega sicilia, they practice sustainable agriculture. the viticulture is close to biodynamic viticulture, without seeking certification. indeed, pablo alvarez and his family wish to have a wide enough field of action to prevent possible bad weather or diseases of the vine. especially since the climate where the vineyard is located is very capricious: temperatures can vary from -10°c to 40°c. this condition makes working the vineyard and harvesting sometimes complicated, and forces small yields. moreover, the family does not hesitate to sacrifice a large part of its production if it is not good enough. vega sicilia's vineyards cover no less than 19 terroirs and 55 plots! these are vinified separately. vega sicilia is an exceptional estate, and therefore offers prestigious wines that will give you a tasting experience of its own. they also have an excellent ageing capacity. deep red. high-pitched aromas of redcurrant, dried cherry, potpourri and spicecake. silky in texture and alluringly spherical, offering seamless red fruit and floral pastille flavors and late notes of blood orange and asian spices. nothing heavy or fat here and yet this delivers the impact of a large-scaled wine. the finish is expansive and extremely persistent, leaving notes of rose and sweet red fruits behind. i find this to be drinking extremely well now but have no doubt that it will live a long life on its balance. (i also had the chance to re-taste the 1991 unico and it is showing superb clarity and finesse, a seamless texture and suave red fruit and floral character. it is delicious now but holds excellent for further development in bottle. on this tasting, i scored it a solid 96 points.)