Vega Sicilia - Ribera del Duero Unico 2016

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

The Único 2016 was fragrant and elegant, reflecting a very good vintage in the region. Winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga began in 2015, a powerful year, and he recalls 2016 as a very balanced year, with higher yields and more refined wines. The winter was mild, the spring cooler than average, and the summer hot. September was dry, resulting in healthy grapes and balanced ripening. The harvest began on September 22 and ended on October 11. The bottled wine is composed of 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, with an alcohol content of 14.5%, a pH of 3.82, and an acidity of 4.8 grams. It possesses the classic Vega aroma—intoxicating, complex, and nuanced—full of personality and very energetic on the palate, vibrant and fresh, powerful yet elegant. The wine is released 10 years after harvest, having spent time in new and used American and French oak barrels and in 20,000-liter oak vats, and it naturally spends a significant amount of time in the bottle. This is a monumental vintage of Único. In total, 92,292 bottles, 3,695 magnums, and a few larger formats were produced. It was bottled in May 2022. 2027–2046

Jancis Robinson

About the wine:

Stylistically, this is a tertiary wine, yet far from faded. Notes of black tea, leather, and earth emerge with remarkable purity and precision, framed by hints of cedar and an elegant aromatic touch. The palate is surprisingly delicate, with integrated, soft tannins, enhanced by subtle spicy notes—hints of clove and sandalwood—that add nuance. While 2014 and 2015 were hot years, 2016 was not cool, but certainly less hot, resulting in a wine that is slightly less concentrated, more refined, and whose primary liveliness remains intact. Hints of black cherry and blackcurrant blend with a distinctive freshness of pine forest, and the oak, skillfully integrated, plays a supporting role. We are witnessing a quiet evolution for Único: less overtly oaky, more transparent, it exudes a purity that enhances the estate’s signature character rather than altering it. A wine capable of illuminating a dining room simply by crossing the room to reach the table, and one that will be the pride of collectors and admirers. 2026–2060

James Suckling

About the wine:

A beautifully balanced Vega that is already approachable. Everything is in harmony, revealing an almost ethereal quality that contrasts with the denser 2015 vintage. There is a hint of minerality combined with aromas of blackberries and black cherries. The tannins are firm but softened. Medium to full-bodied with a finish that lingers for a minute. Ready to drink or worth cellaring.