1998 Vega Sicilia Unico

Mariano Garcia’s last vintage? 92% Tinto Fino, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Hot summer with intermittent rainfall at harvest (6 October). After fermentation the wine remained in large-capacity wooden vats for 20 months. It then matured for 24 months in new casks, 24 months in second-use casks and 19 months in large-capacity wooden vats. 76,385 bottles, 2,041 magnums, 157 double magnums. From magnum. Transparent ruby. Really fully resolved – quite a leap from the younger vintages. High-toned and sweet with really winning pure fruit on the palate and definite dustiness on the end. Unique flavours. Dry finish. Much wilder and possibly less technically perfect than the wines 1999–2014? Fun! (JR)

Ruby-red. Exotic aromas of red and dark fruits, iron, dried flowers, cured meat and tobacco are strongly reminiscent of a top vintage of Chateau Haut-Brion. Luscious cherry and cassis flavors display a superb balance of depth and structure, offering noteworthy power but a weightless quality that is simply uncanny. Candied flowers, smoky minerals and vanilla bean add complexity and extend through an endless finish. I'd love to sneak this into a tasting of 1998 Saint-Emilion and Graves wines in ten years or so.

The 1998 Unico is purple-colored with a complex bouquet of wood smoke, violets, Asian spices, mineral, blueberry, and assorted black fruits. This is followed by a full-bodied, dense, loaded wine with gobs of sweet fruit, great concentration, and layers of flavor. It will continue to evolve for another 5-7 years and drink well through 2040+. Jay Miller, Wine Advocate February 2008