eRobertParker.com | Jan 2019 | Luis Gutierrez
As I've seen in recent years, the non-vintage blend NV Único Reserva Especial 2019 Release contains younger wines than what the older releases used to me made up of. In this case, it's 2006, 2007 and 2009 and in fact contains wine from the current release of Único, so not much older. It's mostly Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo) and some Cabernet Sauvignon. It had a slightly longer élevage in oak, as the blend was put in bottle in June 2015, at the same time as the 2009 Único; therefore, the 2006 and 2007 components were in oak for a longer time. It has a similar character to the 2009, perhaps a little more subtle and elegant but not really more complex, with some tannins and a medium-bodied palate. 17,071 bottles and 2010 magnums produced.
They seem to never stop at Vega Sicilia. The latest development has been to increase the volume they can age in large oak vats to some 40,000 liters, so that the ratio of wine to oak can be a little lower as they use more vats and fewer barriques.