Vega Sicilia Valbuena No. 5 2018

Introduction

Valbuena 5 is the purest expression of red wine at Vega Sicilia. It is aged between barrel and bottle over five years, giving rise to the wine’s name. This bottling is a vertical, zingy, crystalline expression, full of nuances, with a seductive and unctuous texture.

96 Points – James Suckling

Deep and complex, with fresh black and blue fruit and an attractive floral and peppery note to this vintage, followed by hints of cedar, sweet spice and vanilla. Very dusty and juicy on the palate, with mealy, powdery tannins that interweave with the fruit. A Valbuena 5 that you can appreciate earlier.

96 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

The 2018 Valbuena comes from a cooler vintage with good yields that required sorting and selecting in search of a happy and vertical version of Valbuena, pushing a little more and giving the wine a little more oak, especially American (5%). It was produced with 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Merlot that went through a three- to four-day cold soak and fermented with indigenous yeasts followed by malolactic in stainless steel.

94 Points – Wine Spectator

A harmonious red, displaying flavors of black plum reduction and wild strawberry fruit, with fragrant Earl Grey, cedar, cocoa powder and loamy earth notes in a graceful, medium- to full-bodied frame. Well-structured but supple, with the generous profile gliding across the silky palate through to the finish of fine-grained tannins and fragrant spices.