Vega Sicilia Unico 2010, Ribero Del Duero, Spain

Undoubtedly Spain’s First Growth, Vega-Sicilia, has risen to the top of winemaking in Spain since its inception in 1864 when Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves brought Cabernet and Merlot cuttings over from Bordeaux, planting them alongside the Spanish Tempranillo.

It is also the only Spanish producer in the Liv-ex ‘Power 100’ list of the world’s most collectable wine estates. In 2019, it even jumped to 26th place, where it is rated above Pétrus, Opus One and Le Pin.

These are complex wines that are a constant and enjoyable paradox: showing depth with brilliance, grace with power. Their top wine is the legendary Único. Crafted from some of the oldest vines in the appellation, Único is released after long periods of ageing at the estate. 

The plots selected comprise fine colluvial deposits with fragments of limestone. There is also abundant quartz gravel deeper down in a sandy main soil. The resulting wine offers an almost infinite complexity that is emerges gradually from the glass. The palate immensely silky and elegant and has an ageing capacity that only a handful of wines in the world can match.