Unico

Founded in 1864 by Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves after Bordeaux training, Vega Sicilia introduced Cabernet Sauvignon to Castile — a transgression that became the estate's structural signature. The 2011 Único carries approximately 94–95% Tinto Fino and 5–6% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from roughly 40 hectares of vines averaging 60+ years across hillside plots on the south bank of the Duero, where limestone fragments and fine colluvial soils over quartz-gravel subsoil drive mineral tension and restrict vine vigour at 700–750 m elevation. Extreme continental diurnal swings preserve acidity while the Duero moderates frost and governs subsoil moisture. Fermentation proceeds with native yeast in individual wooden tanks — 81 separate vessels for plot-by-plot traceability — followed by malolactic in vessel. Aging spans a minimum of ~6 years in wood (new and used 225-litre French and American oak barriques plus 22,000-litre vats, with 70–80% new oak in year one transitioning to seasoned wood) plus ~4 years in bottle before release. No peer in still red wine holds its wine this long as standard protocol. The 2011 vintage is described as concentrated yet silky and precise — approachable now but structured for continued development.