THE Unico 2005 gleamed ruby red in the glass. Fresh, vibrant, elegant—my notes read. This wine was the highlight of the Vega Sicilia tasting session that was held just this week, led by Antonio Menéndez, managing director of Tempos Vega Sicilia.
But before that, there were the Macán 2013, Alíon 2014, Pintia 2013 and the Valbuena 5˚ Año 2011—all presented like the front acts to the main event by Julian Gagliardi, general manager at Happy Living Philippines Corp. Together with Terry Selection, Happy Living had organized a series of events featuring the wines of Vega Sicilia, including this tasting session at Okada Manila. That Antonio Menéndez was in town to lead the events—beginning with the lunch that featured Juan Carlos de Terry’s exquisite cooking—was telling of the special relationship between Vega Sicilia and its Philippine distributor, Terry Selection Inc.
Several years back, Pablo Álvarez (of the family that owns Vega Sicilia) had visited Manila on Juan Carlos’s invitation. “You were seated beside him at the dinner, remember?” Juan Carlos was recalling the visits of the Vega Sicilia members to Manila and the times he, too, was hosted by the Álvarez family. I remember too well that exceptional dinner that Juan Carlos had hosted for Pablo Álvarez—and the Unico 1996 that we had with an aged manchego. There was also that visit of Antonio Menéndez about two years ago when he presented six vintages of the Valbuena—from 2006 to 2011, the Macán 2012 and Unico 2007. Counting this third time that Menéndez is in Manila, Vega Sicilia would have been to Manila seven times, recalled Juan Carlos.
Bodegas Vega Sicilia was one of the first wineries that called attention to the potential of Spain’s Ribera del Duero in producing exceptional wines.
The estate was founded in 1864 by Don Eloy de Lecanda, a winemaker who had returned to the region with cabernet sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot wines from Bordeaux. That trinity of Bordeaux varieties, plus the local tempranillo, has since figured in the highly individual Vega Sicilia wines, weathering the succession of changes in ownership. The Álvarez family, the current owners, bought the estate in 1982, the year Ribera del Duero was conferred Denominación de Origen status. Then followed a process of modernization and expansion that saw the addition of new estates that included Bodegas Alíon in 1992, Bodegas Pintia in Toro in 2001 and Tokaji Oremus in Hungary in 1993.
There is an aura of exclusivity around the wines of Vega Sicilia. That these are results of meticulous wine making, are long-lived (and expensive) and available only in limited quantities certainly bolster the image. And, that is why I always approach the Vega Sicilia Unico with awe. Unico is normally released after 10 years in the cellar. But not in the case of the Unico 2005, which was released in 2016. The wine was so massive in its youth that the decision was made to hold back its release for two more years to allow for its components to mellow, explained Menéndez. Made with tempranillo and 7 percent cabernet sauvignon, the Unico 2005 can keep for almost 40 years, when stored in optimum conditions. He recalled that in 2015, at wine collector’s gathering, they had tasted—and enjoyed—the Unico 1915.
“Incredible” was also the word for the Unico 2005. Perfumed, fresh, vibrant acidity, dried leaf, subtle fruitcake spice, tobacco, leather silky, elegant—these were scribbled in my notes. I emptied my glass and wanted more. But legends do not always allow for second helpings.