Of the almost 1,000 hectares that make up the Vega Sicilia estate, 210 are allocated to the cultivation of vines, with nineteen different types of soil and fifty-five plots with very specific features. In the extraordinary management of these soils, the influence of the course of the Douro River and the passage of time have been crucial.

Forty of these hectares are used to produce Unico, which is aged for a minimum of ten years between barrel and bottle, one of the longest ageing processes in the world. We use French and American oak in new and used 225-litre barrels and 22,000-litre vats. A long and complex construction of the wines, but at the same time simply marvellous, in which they gain a myriad of nuances, precise texture and wonderful depth over time. Thanks to this incredible terroir and unique ageing process, our wines become eternal when they age.

2011 is a concentrated vintage yet, elegant, silky, precise and deep. Unico is an expression that can be savoured immediately, although over time it will become truly incredible. It is, without a shadow of doubt, a true delight.

Very ripe with plum, spice and dried-flower aromas, as well as chocolate, fresh flowers and sandalwood. Coffee and hints of meat. Sort of decadent. Full-bodied with round, creamy tannins and an intense, juicy feel. Unique cedar and walnut undertones. So delicious now, but one for the future, too. (JS) (9/2020)
98 points James Suckling

Deep, shimmering ruby. An intensely perfumed bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, vanilla, pipe tobacco, exotic spices, cola and potpourri. Deeply concentrated and energetic on the palate, offering smoke-laced black currant, cherry liqueur, spicecake and mocha flavors that display outstanding clarity and pick up a candied violet nuance on the back half. Polished, steadily building tannins frame the finish, which hangs on with outstanding, mineral- and floral-driven tenacity. (JR) (2/2021)
96 points Vinous