Among the most unique bottlings in the wine market is the Reserva Especial from Vega Sicilia. For several decades, the Bodega has blended two or three different vintages of their Unico - their vintage bottling produced only in the finest years - to create a non-vintage wine in much the same way the Champagne houses create their cuvees. The aim here is consistency between releases.
Vega Sicilia bottles a Reserva Especial in the majority of years, and each particular cuvee produced contains a specific blend of Unico vintages. For example, the NV Reserva Especial released in 1993 contains Unico vintages from 1970 and 1972. Furthermore, the 1997 bottling of the Reserva Especial is a blend of Unico from 1981, 1986 and 1990. There is a lot number on the bottom left of the label that denotes the bottling year, either by stating the vintage outright, or ending with a two-digit year such as “026/97” signifying a 1997 bottling. You’d never notice the code if I didn’t just tell you where it was…
If you’re familiar with Vega Sicilia, you know these are incredibly age-worthy and collectible wines...so you’re bound to see Reserva Especial traded on the market. Yet retailers refer to it as simply “Reserva Especial,” as if it is a single bottling – like 1982 Latour – which it is not. There can be years of bottle age differentiating two Reservas, and the vintages within the blends can be even further apart. Some are young, some are mature; some bottles have been cellared, some just released. My point? These are different wines and should be treated as such in the market.
We just secured a nice collection of Vega Sicilia Reserva Especial and have exerted the effort to note the release years of each bottling. It will assist the collector in distinguishing between wines that are inherently different and of unique character.
NV Vega Sicilia - Unico Reserva Especial (1990 bottling) $325
NV Vega Sicilia - Unico Reserva Especial (1993 bottling) $325
NV Vega Sicilia - Unico Reserva Especial (1996 bottling) $325
NV Vega Sicilia - Unico Reserva Especial (1997 bottling) $325
