1983 Vega Sicilia Unico

65% Tinto Fino, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and Malbec. After a year in large wooden tank, the wine was aged for 8 months in new casks then a further 5 years in used casks. 44,000 bottles and 2,000 magnums. From magnum. More savoury than the 1985 and just as good and energetic. Real class. (JR)

Been overlooked but it’s really there with the great vintages. Has always been in the shadow of 1982. Dark, nuanced ruby. Tobacco notes and really quite rich. Some white pepper too. Much more flesh than on, say, the 1987. Juicy fruit and very charming and transparent. You could almost taste this warrior without food! Mouth filling. Very vibrant, lifted. Very complete. Fresh, pure finish. (JR)

A cool(ish) vintage, from a cold winter with enough rain, a cold spring with some frosts that delayed budding and average to high rain followed by an irregular summer with rain and mild temperatures. The harvest started on 12 October (textbook date for old-time Ribera del Duero). The wood regime was one year in big oak vats, eight months in new barriques and five years in a mix of relatively young and old barrels until bottling. The blend is 65% Tinto Fino, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot and Malbec and it was put into 81,500 bottles and 2,000 magnums. The bottles were sold in 1994 and 1995, and the magnums in 1999. The first wine that on the nose is Vega Sicilia, it's ready! A hint of quinine. More complexity, autumn forest, some damp leaves, reminds me of a classic Rioja. In the mouth it is polished and flowing, very sapid. Alive and kicking. (LG)