Vega Sicilia Reserva Especial 03 04 06 2017

Vega Sicilia Reserva Especial 03 04 06 (Edición 2017) is a non-vintage red wine produced by the much-lauded Vega Sicilia in the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. Made up of a blend of wines from the 03, 04 and 06 vintages, this Reserva Especial is an homage to Spanish winemaking tradition. Historically, Spanish bodegas would release two wines with each harvest. the wine of the current year plus another wine without a specific vintage, which was a blend of wines from the best harvests. This came to be called `Reserva Especial`. The wines which go into this blend are aged in barrel for at least 10 years before botting. This is an extraordinary, sultry red wine and a fitting tribute to Spanish winemaking history. "The one non-vintage wine released yearly, as a blend of different harvests, is now the NV Único Reserva Especial 2017 Release, which contains wine from the 2003, 2004 and 2006 vintages—very warm and ripe years in general in Ribera del Duero, especially the 2003. As all recent vintages of Único, it is mainly Tempranillo with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. It has younger wines than last year`s release, which was made up of 1996, 1998 and 2002, and the wine shows it with less developed aromas and a more fruit-forward profile. It has the classical developed Vega Sicilia bouquet, but the newer vintages used this time and the extra bottle time they have given to the 2005 Único (which is released at the same time as this), makes them show similar profiles. What I`m trying to say is that this is certainly younger than the majority of Reserva Especial to date, and the forest floor, spicy and musky aromas are combined with more primary notes of fruit. The palate has the polished texture and the very fine tannins that are the signature of this cuvée, and a very long and tasty finish. It`s quite approachable, but should also be able to develop in bottle. 17,117 bottles and 202 magnums were filled in June 2013." Luis Gutierrez, 2017