2013 Vega Sicilia Unico

Bodegas Vega Sicilia is Spain's most prestigious wine estate, and has produced some of the most famous wines in the country's history. Founded in the 1860's and based in Ribera del Duero, two hours from Madrid, initial plantings at the estate included Bordeaux grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec, along with the indigenous Tinto Fino (Tempranillo). Unico is their most well-known wine, made from at least 80% Tempranillo and small amounts of Bordeaux varietals, and released after 10 years of maturation.

Other Reviews....
I had already tasted the 2013 Único from magnum in a vertical tasting of all the magnums ever produced and was quite impressed by it (and the still unreleased 2014 that should be available in 2024). 2013 saw a rainy harvest, and the wine is subtle, elegant and fresh, complex, silky and with precision. The wine matured in 225-liter barrels in an initial phase and then in 22,000-liter oak vats until it was bottled in June 2019. This year, the final blend was 97% Tinto Fino and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon with a little less alcohol, 14%, and a pH of 3.78 and 5.2 grams of acidity, fresh and balanced, more elegant and subtler. Único often transcends the character of the vintage and doesn't follow the norm in the region, and the 2013 is a good example of that. It was a very rainy and complicated vintage; they harvested quite quickly to avoid botrytis, and while other people waited for concentration, they did not, and their approach clearly paid back. It's aromatic and floral, less dense than the 2012, subtler, more expressive and more elegant. It's clean and fresh, tasty, with very fine tannins. It's a big surprise for the vintage and one of the finest Únicos in the last few years. 76,476 bottles, 3,658 magnums and some larger formats produced, the shortest crop since 2009. Drink 2023 - 2035.
97 points
Luis Gutiérrez - Wine Advocate (Feb 01, 2023)

A really elegant Unico that shows fine decadence to the notes of incense, iron, black tea, cigar box, blackberry and blue fruit. Complex, nuanced and elegant, with a tight yet precise tannin structure and an extremely long but delicate finish. Almost ethereal. A fresh delivery of the rainy vintage with an impeccable freshness and poise. This shows a more layered and “vulnerable” facade of Unico that harkens back to the more classic vintages. Already extremely drinkable now, but better after 2024.
98 points
James Suckling