There is a certain irony that the name Unico is given to not one, but two wines. And while the ‘regular’ Unico is exceptional in numerous ways, it does at least follow the fine wine convention of being produced from a single vintage. This is not true of the Reserva Especial which, in virtue of being a multivintage red wine, is truly unique among its peers. It both pays tribute to the Spanish tradition of blending vintages, now largely lost outside sparkling and fortified styles; it also, by bypassing any overt vintage character, offers a remarkably pure and direct account of the terroir itself.
2023 Unico Reserva Especial is a blend of 2009, 2011 & 2012 vintages.
"The NV Único Reserva Especial 2023 Release is a blend produced with vintages 2009, 2011 and 2012, in search of a house style. It's a blend of Tinto Fino with some Cabernet Sauvignon with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.85 and 5.2 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter of wine); so, it's a slightly lighter version of Reserva Especial. When in theory they used three warm, ripe and powerful vintages, the blend is not excessively powerful, but the longer élevage has polished that power and delivered a classical and proportioned wine, aromatic, spicy, with the Vega nose and a velvety palate with very fine tannins and great elegance." 97pts Luis Gutiérrez The Wine Advocate
