Valbuena, is the purest expression of Tempranillo in Vega Sicilia and is sourced from gentle concave slopes made of calcareous soils. Blend with a small portion of Merlot, depending on the vintage, the grapes are fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks and aged for five years between wood and bottle. The wines are juicy and voluptuous and shows great harmony between elegance, complexity and concentration.
Producer description:
Founded in 1864 by Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves who planted the first Bordeaux grapes on the land, Vega Sicilia is Spain’s most prestigious wine estate. Since 1982, the winery has been in the hands of the Alvarez family who played a major role in building Ribera del Duero’s reputation. They own 210ha of vines, some of which are over hundred years old, which thrives on a unique terroir. Their meticulous care in both vineyards and cellar gave birth to Unico, their flagship, which is known as Spain's “first growth”.
Style:
Still Red
Vintage:
2020
Dryness:
Dry
Size:
75cl
Delivery:
2025 May
Available:
3
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Critic Scores
Robert Parker | 95
The 2020 Valbuena is from a year marked by COVID-19 and lots of rain before the harvest, which resulted in a more ethereal wine, with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.9 and 4.45 grams of acidity. It was produced with 97% Tinto Fino and 3% Merlot, cooled down for 24 hours and then fermented with indigenous yeasts from a pied de cuve in stainless steel. It matured in barrel and oak vats during the first year, and in the second one, it aged exclusively in oak vats of different sizes, 8,500 and 21,000 liters. In 2020, the wine is finer-boned, it's more fluid, it's only medium-bodied, perhaps because of the dilution from the rain, and the tannins are fine-grained and polished, but there's less juiciness in the wine. It calls for food. With time in the glass, the wine opens up and becomes more aromatic, and it even seems to gain juiciness and change texture. This is a production of 186,286 bottles, 5,673 magnums and some larger formats. It was bottled in May 2023.
James Suckling | 96
Valbuena 5 used to be the baby Unico, and nowadays it is more like its younger brother with a lot of resemblance and just a bit less depth and tannins. Valbuena 5 comes from younger vines and sometimes different parcels from Unico. On the palate, this is more open and linear, while Unico is more profound and vertical. Notes of iron, blackberries, cedar, minerals and cocoa powder. Medium- to full-bodied with melted tannins and a long, long finish. Drinkable from 2025, but will hold for years.
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