若提到最頂級的西班牙國寶級酒廠,當屬維嘉西西里亞酒廠。故事的起源要回到 1848年,Toribio Lecanda買下了約800公頃的土地,開啟了維嘉西西里亞的傳奇。園區早期主要的經營重心在於畜牧、穀物、果樹種植與陶器製作等,直到 1864 年由Toribio 的兒子 DonEloy Lecanda y Chaves 接手經營後,才開始耙地、種植。Eloy 不僅僅栽種本地的格
那希(Grenache) 與田帕尼歐 (Tempranillo) 品種,更從法國購買了 18,000 株葡萄,包含卡本內蘇維濃(Cabernet Sauvignon)、梅洛(Merlot)、馬爾貝克(Melbec)、甚至黑皮諾(Pinot
Noir) 品種。
1915 年,酒廠正式以維嘉西西里亞酒廠的名義推出5款葡萄酒:UNICO 紅酒、無年份的 UNICO
RESERVA ESPECIAL、UNICO 白酒 (1947 年起停產)、VALBUENA 5°以及 VALBUENA 3°(最後生產年份為1987)。1929 年在巴塞隆納世界博覽會 (Exposicion Universal de Barcelona) 中,維嘉西西里亞酒廠的旗艦酒款 UNICO 以 1917 與 1918 兩個年份贏得榮譽大獎,打響了酒廠的知名度。
WA: 95 Drink: 2020-2040
Having skipped over releasing a 2001 due to frost damage, the 2002 Unico is a result of a severe selection as attested by the label which shows that just 42,932 bottles were produced instead of 108,536 in 2000. It has an incredibly intense nose, much more linear and focused than the more flamboyant 2000, with scents of dark cherry, creme de cassis and a touch of honey and melted dark chocolate. The palate is medium-bodied with a slight grainy texture on the entry, a hint of cooked meat inflecting the layers of toasty dark berry fruit. It is very harmonious and perhaps at this juncture, edgier and grittier than the millennial Unico. It is less opulent and more structured than the 2000, but is a more cerebral wine. Drink 2020-2040+.
