Recently, I had the great pleasure to taste an extremely rare and gorgeous red wine from the Ribera del Duero region in Spain: Unico Reserva Especial from Bodegas Vega-Sicilia, which can retail for as much as $500 a bottle if and when you actually find it. This fabulous wine was part of an informative class on classic, old world style wines from Spain presented at Brooklyn Wine Exchange. The class was led by Daniel Lerner from the excellent importer and distributor Michael Skurnik Wines.
What makes Unico Reserva Especial so special? For starters, the way the wine is made, which continues a very old tradition of blending barrels in Spain. Unico begins as a blend of Tempranillo, one of the most widely planted grapes in Spain, Cabernet Sauvignon and sometimes Merlot. The grapes come from vines as old as 100 years.
Unico, which is their flagship wine, is mostly bottled as typical vintage wine. However, Bodegas Vega-Sicilia holds back some barrels from their best vintages to blend with barrels from other great vintages to create their Reserva Especial, a truly unique multi-vintage wine. No expense is spared at any level of the production of Reserva Especial. The average age at release of these non-vintage wines is an astounding 25 years: 20 years in barrel and 5 years in bottle!
The Reserva Especial that we tasted was a blend of wines from the 1994, 1997 and 2000 vintages. It was released in 2009. Dan said that this was only the third time in his lengthy career in wine that he had the opportunity to taste Reserva Especial. Even wine professionals rarely get to taste this Reserva Especial!
This was, to date, easily one of the most stunning wines I’ve ever tasted: very elegant, very complex and in perfect balance. I am listing tasting tasting notes, but, really words are insufficient to describe this amazing wine. There were aromas of dark fruits, leather, truffle and a bit of minerality. On the palate, I got spices, dark fruits such as blackberries and black cherries, herbs, licorice and earthy notes.
The main thing that sets Reserva Especial apart is the balance between the vibrant acidity, tannins and the fruit. And this considering that the wine had been decanting for seven hours. Tim Farrell, head buyer at Brooklyn Wine Exchange, said this wine was perfect, and I totally agree with him. This was a real treat!
Lettie Teague, the wonderful wine columnist for The Wall Street Journal, wrote a great article for Food & Wine back in December 2001 about her experience visiting Bodegas Vega-Sicilia. See http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/gambling-on-vega.
The photo below is Reserva Especial’s “little brother” – their 2007 Aleon Cosecha, which was available for $95.
There were other delicious Spanish classics tasted during class as well:
1.) Raventos I Blanc 2010 “De La Finca” Brut ($33) (Penedes) – a delicious sparkling wine from one of the best producers in Spain, and it’s made in exactly the same way as Champagne, but with different grapes (Xarel-lo, Macabeo and Parellada). This is their top cuvee, and a total bargain. Champagne of equivalent quality is double the price, and it’s a totally food-worthy sparkler.
2.) Raul Perez 2012 “Muti” Albariño ($49) (Rias Biaxas) – half aged in oak and half vinifed in stainless steel, this Albariño is quite complex, has vibrant acidity and both salty and savory components on the palate. It’s one of the more expensive Albariños I’ve seen, but the winemaker is quickly becoming a legend. Raul Perez ages wines underwater in the ocean after they’ve gone to bottle – see his “Sketch” Albariño.
3.) La Rioja Alta 2007 “Vina Alberdi” Rioja Reserva ($21) (Rioja) – a red wine made with Tempranillo produced by the 2nd oldest winery in Rioja, which is Spain’s most historic wine region. This wine is also a bargain. It’s medium-bodied and drinking very well right now. It has notes of dill on the nose because it was aged in American oak. This is a high quality wine with serious bottle age for this price, but still has great aging potential.
4.) C.V.N.E. 2005 “Imperial” Gran Reserva ($64) (Rioja) – Released only 6 months ago, this is a red blend made from Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo produced by the oldest winery in Rioja. It also originates from (add name), which is considered the best growing area in Rioja. It is much more complex than the 2007 Vina Alberdi, but it was also tighter, more muscular, denser and much more tannic. I liked it a lot, but it should be decanted before drinking. It may seem pricey to many wine drinkers, but it is already 10 years old and you would pay double the price for similar quality wines from many other countries. Again, this wine has huge aging potential, but is resilient enough to last in a NYC apartment.
La Rioja Alta and C.V.N.E. are classic Rioja producers, and I think that their wines are always good. They produce wines on every level and cellar many of their top wines for several years before release as you see with these examples. One of the values that Spanish wines offer is what I call “age for price”. La Rioja Alta is an 8-year-old wine for $21! That is unheard of in most other countries.
5.) Clos Figueras 2010 “Font de la Figuera ($40) (Priorat) – a red blend made with Garnacha, Syrah and Carignan hailing from another classic wine region – Priorat. This was my least favorite wine of the tasting, but in all fairness, it is really difficult to taste without food. It is very high alcohol, very tannic and grippy. Priorat is not my favorite wine region in Spain. I think that there is better value to be found in other regions.
Brooklyn Wine Exchange is, along with 24 Hubert Wines, one of the few wine stores to consistently do free sit-down seminars. I cannot stress strongly enough how helpful these are for learning about wine in general and discovering your own personal palate. I don’t love wines from Priorat, but they do have a devoted following, and that’s what’s great about drinking wine.
Seminars are free at Brooklyn Wine Exchange, but it is easier to sign up if you are a member. I believe that memberships are $180, but that gives you access to unlimited, almost twice weekly classes, the ability to bring a friend and 20% off all wines tasted. Please see http://www.brooklynwineexchange.com for more information.
Cheers,
Brooklyn Wine Geek
Brooklyn Wine Geek 