The First Growths of Bordeaux, Grand Cru in Burgundy, Opus One in California, the very top wines in the world are few and far between. Vega-Sicilia is considered the sole 'First Growth' equivalent of Spain.

Vega-Sicilia was founded in 1864 by Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves in a harsh corner of the wine region of Ribera del Duero. While the 'Rioja' wine region is considered one of the great wine regions of Spain, 'Ribera' would certainly produce arguably the best wines in the country. Their top tier wine is the 'Unico', only slightly less prestigious is the 'Valbuena'.

The family owns an impressive 240 hectares of vines, with 140 hectares dedicated to the Unico and Valbuena wines. The vineyards are planted largely with Tempranillo, but also interspersed with Bordeaux grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenere and Malbec. Many of the vines are 130-150 years old.

The soils that the Unico and Valbuena wines are grown on are gentle slopes consisting of a fine mix of colluvial deposits from the hillsides above, along with sandy limestone and a layer of quartz gravel beneath. These endure a harsh climate - baking hot and very dry summers and cold winters.

Unico blends Tempranillo with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon - aged for 6 years in barrel and a minimum of 4 years bottle age (often much longer) before release. The Valbuena still showcases Tempranillo but blended with small amounts of Merlot, and aged for 5 years before release.

The nose was dark and mineral-inflected with black cherry, exotic savory spices, hints of pepper, dried flowers, animal musk and stone dust. On the palate, it was amazingly fresh with crushed raspberry and strawberry fruit followed by a wave of acidity that deposited notes of dried orange, cherry, and inner floral tones. The finish was long with fine tannin drying the fruit, yet floral and spice tones prevailed. Stunning!