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Picture
Product Name
Vintage
Price
Varietal
Country
Region
Appellation
Size
Additional Discount
Original Item
2008
$387.95
Tempranillo
Spain
Castilla Y Leon
Ribera Del Duero
750ml
N/A
Better Price, Same Score
2012
$370.99
Tempranillo
Spain
Castilla Y Leon
Ribera Del Duero
750ml
Better Score, Similar Price
2004
$379.95
Tempranillo
Spain
Castilla Y Leon
Ribera Del Duero
750ml
Closest Match
2004
$380.46
Tempranillo
Spain
Castilla Y Leon
Ribera Del Duero
750ml
Best QPR in Price range
2006
$404.12
Tempranillo
Spain
Castilla Y Leon
Ribera Del Duero
750ml
More wines available from Vega Sicilia
Pre-Arrival
Vega Sicilia Ribera Del Duero Unico 1995
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$565.87
It is the Vega Sicilia flagship. The qualities of the Tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon in different proportions are...
Pre-Arrival
Vega Sicilia Ribera Del Duero Unico 1996
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$704.44
Pablo Alvarez quipped that in 1996, the growing season was so benevolent, that the winemaker was not even necessary!...
Pre-Arrival
Vega Sicilia Ribera Del Duero Unico 1998
1.5Ltr - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$1626.75
$1730.59
The 1998 Unico is purple-colored with a complex bouquet of wood smoke, violets, Asian spices, mineral, blueberry, and...
Pre-Arrival
Vega Sicilia Ribera Del Duero Unico 1999
1.5Ltr - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$1507.95
The 1999 Unico delivers an ethereal bouquet of smoke, pencil lead, violets, leather, incense, black cherry, and...
Pre-Arrival
Vega Sicilia Ribera Del Duero Unico 2000
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$471.51
In the absence of a 2001 Unico, Vega Sicilia has re-released the 2000 Unico which I reviewed in Issue 189. The 2000...
More Details
Winery
Vega Sicilia
Vintage: 2008
2008 saw very high yields across wineries in much of the southern hemisphere, as a result of highly favorable climatic conditions. Although in many areas, these high yields brought with them something of a drop in overall quality, this could not be said for South Australia's wines, which were reportedly excellent. Indeed, the 2008 Shiraz harvest in South Australia is said to be one of the most successful in recent decades, and western Australia's Chardonnays are set to be ones to watch out for. New Zealand's Pinot Noir harvest was also very good, with wineries in Martinborough reportedly very excited about this particular grape and the characteristics it revealed this year.
Pinot Noir also grew very well in the United States, and was probably the most successful grape varietal to come out of California in 2008, with Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley delivering fantastic results from this grape. Elsewhere in United States, Washington State and Oregon had highly successful harvests in 2008 despite some early worries about frost.
However, it was France who had the best of the weather and growing conditions in 2008, and this year was one of the great vintages for Champagne, the Médoc in Bordeaux, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, with Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes leading the way. Italy, too, shared many of these ideal conditions, with the wineries in Tuscany claiming that their Chianti Classicos of 2008 will be ones to collect, and Piedmont's Barberesco and Barolo wines will be recognized as amongst the finest of the past decade.
Varietal: Tempranillo
For millennia, the Tempranillo grape varietal has been esteemed and revered by winemakers in their native Spain. These grapes are packed full of intense and fascinating flavors, often rewarding wine drinkers with notes of tobacco, leather, plum and herbs alongside their spicy and full bodied character. Their thick, black skins result in their wines being very deep red in color, and often high in tannins. As such, Tempranillo grapes are usually blended with other fine varietals to produce exceptionally balanced and delicious blended wines, such as those found in La Riot and other important wine regions around the world. Despite them being a notoriously tricky varietal to grow, their popularity continues to increase, and winemakers continue to impress the world with this excellent example of a red wine grape.
Region: Castilla Y Leon
Castilla y Leon, in the heart of Spain, is a fascinating wine region with plenty of history, tradition and character going into each and every bottle which is produced there. The expansive, dry and arid plateau of Castilla y Leon means that the grapevines which grow there have to work hard to reach the moisture below ground, resulting in grapes which express plenty of the terroir they grow in, and thus reveal lots of flavor, aromas and the character of the region itself. Despite the difficult conditions and the blazing heat of Castilla y Leon, plenty of grape varietals grow there. As such, there is a wide range of red and white wines associated with the area, and wineries have generations of experience and expertise in making the most of the fruits they cultivate.
Country: Spain
Ever since the Phoenicians and Romans brought their knowledge of vine cultivation to Spanish soils, the country's culture has grown alongside wine production, with wine being a vital part of Spanish identity and Spanish traditions. Each region of Spain has a wine quite distinct from the others, and it is produced by smallholders and families as much as it is by large companies and established wineries. From the relatively mild and lush regions of La Rioja to the arid plateaus that surround Madrid, grapes are grown in abundance for the now booming Spanish wine industry, and new laws and regulations have recently been put in place to keep the country's standards high. By combining traditional practices with modern technology, Spanish wineries are continuing to produce distinctive wines of great character, flavor and aroma, with the focus shifting in recent decades to quality over quantity.