There are cult wines and there are cult wines. You can probably name a dozen of these most prized wine brands, and I’m willing to bet that Vega Sicilia is among them. In over 20 years of writing about wine, I’d never had the chance to taste Unico, Vega Sicilia’s top-level bottling — until I got a call that its winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga de Juan was visiting Austin, and would I like to have lunch with him?
I promptly changed all my plans and accepted the offer.
The Ribera del Duero-based winery was established in 1864 (and planted with grapes from Bordeaux), and has been under its current ownership since 1982, the year that Ribera gained its own DO status. Ever since it has maintained a place in the top echelon of world winemaking, regularly winning all manner of awards while commanding top-tier pricing. Today, its winemaking operations can be found not just in Ribera del Duero but also in Rioja, Toro, and, of all places, Hungary, where Vega Sicilia purchased a winery in 1993.
So, without further ado, here’s a full, if brief, report of everything we tasted over a fine Mediterranean lunch at Peacock in the Austin Proper Hotel. Prices noted are “line prices” and will vary by market.
2020 Oremus Tokaji Furmint Mandolas – A dry Hungarian white, Iturriaga says “the winemaker wasn’t needed” for this amazing vintage, which is the first “great” wine from the newly acquired operation, he says. Notes of crisp linens pair with lemon and lime leaf notes, balancing out the sharper notes of minerals and chalky earth. A- / $35
2020 Macan Rioja Clasico – Macan is a joint venture with the Rothschild family, and this wine is a tempranillo with a touch of grenache, which is grown alongside it. Drier in style and heavier with notes of turned earth, showcasing gravel touched lightly with anise. Despite some tart boysenberry and underripe blueberry notes, the earth maintains its grip on the wine throughout. B+ / $55
2019 Macan Rioja – Distinguished from the above wine as these grapes are grown at a higher elevation, aged longer before bottling, and feature a different blending grape. The depth here is much more impressive, featuring concentrated blackberry and currant notes, and some chocolate. Lingers on floral notes before pushing the fruit full-throttle on the finish. A / $88
2020 Alion Ribera del Duero – Rich and spicy, with moderated oak atop a core of raspberry and licorice notes. Still youthful with edgy tannins making their presence well-known, the finish features anise and a pinch of white pepper. This wine would benefit from a bit of time but nonetheless is drinking very well today. A- / $102
2019 Bodegas Pintia Toro – Part of Vega Sicilia since 2001, this wine is made from tinta de toro. Chocolate dominates alongside an amazing spiciness, both of which complement a core of Maraska cherry perfectly. Exuberant and aggressive, the finish lingers on vanilla, cinnamon, and a reprise of bittersweet chocolate. Fun and festive, it’s as crushable as Spanish wine gets. A / $76
2019 Vega Sicilia Ribera del Duero Valbuena 5° – The 5 refers to the 5 years of aging undertaken before the wine’s release. Tempranillo with some merlot. So soft, with blueberry winding its way toward blackberry notes, tempered by lightly herbal and floral elements. Tannins are tempered to the point where they’re all but gone in this bottle, with milk chocolate and light vanilla notes dusting the surface alongside a touch of mint. It’s a streamlined experience that lands with an insane elegance. A / $174
2013 Vega Sicilia Ribera del Duero Unico – Tinto fino, with 3% cabernet sauvignon. A transformative wine that ranks as one of the best I’ve ever tasted. Cherry and currants kick off the show, tempered by anise and pepper, before a note of dark caramel and vanilla creeps in to sweeten things back up just so. Those are just the very broadest of strokes, though, as the experience is so soft and gentle that it’s difficult to properly describe. A complex tangle of flavors builds as the palate evolves. My tasting notes over the course of many small pours ran to sesame, blackberry, and coconut — then back again to vanilla and anise. It’s really an unending wine of massive complexity that never ends, and yet so mild-mannered it never becomes insistent in the slightest. 2013 is the current vintage. Iturriaga says the 2021 vintage may turn out to be the best he’s ever seen. Stay tuned. A+ / $453
2017 Oremus Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos – A classic “5 varietals” sweet Tokaji, this is the perfect capstone to a fine meal, featuring lemon curd and orange flower honey, touched just so with a pinch of graphite to add gravitas. Beautiful when paired with pistachio ice cream. A / $84 (500ml)
2013 Vega Sicilia Ribera del Duero Unico
$453
