Vega Sicilia - Ribera del Duero 'Valbuena 5º' 2020

Valbuena 5º, crafted by the esteemed Vega Sicilia estate, is a red wine celebrated for its meticulous five-year maturation process, split between barrel and bottle. This wine, predominantly composed of Tinto Fino with a touch of Merlot, is known for its mature, juicy, and voluptuous character, embodying harmony and tension developed through its unique aging method. With vineyards averaging 36 years of age and spanning 210 hectares, Valbuena 5º is a testament to the winery's dedication to quality, yielding a limited production that promises a storied evolution for up to 25 years under optimal storage conditions. 

Fermentation at a controlled temperature with native yeast in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation also takes place in stainless steel. After fermentation, it is aged for five years, between wood and in the bottle, which is why it is called Valbuena 5º. French and American wood, new and used 225-litre barrels, 20,000 litre vats, a long and complex process for a great wine. 

“The 2020 Valbueno 5° ages five years in oak and bottle, which gives it its name. Harvest was challenging due to Covid and rain, requiring due diligence in the field and a faster, earlier harvest than anticipated, the grapes coming from the Vega Sicilia estate’s vines with about 35 years of age. It’s an ethereal, medium-bodied wine of lovely delicacy and elegance, 97% Tempranillo blended with 3% Merlot, then aged 12 months in French and American oak, six months in stainless steel and then 18 months in bottle. Blackcurrant, cedar, and balsamic highlight a citrusy freshness. It will hit its prime in five years and age another 20-25.” - 97 Points, Jeb Dunnuck

“The 2020 Valbueno 5° ages five years in oak and bottle, which gives it its name. Harvest was challenging due to Covid and rain, requiring due diligence in the field and a faster, earlier harvest than anticipated, the grapes coming from the Vega Sicilia estate’s vines with about 35 years of age. It’s an ethereal, medium-bodied wine of lovely delicacy and elegance, 97% Tempranillo blended with 3% Merlot, then aged 12 months in French and American oak, six months in stainless steel and then 18 months in bottle. Blackcurrant, cedar, and balsamic highlight a citrusy freshness. It will hit its prime in five years and age another 20-25.” - 96 Points, Decanter

“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, more fluid and only medium-bodied, perhaps because of the dilution from the rain; 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.” -  95 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 

Producer: Vega Sicilia

Country: Spain

Region: Castilla y León

Varietal: Tempranillo, Merlot

Appellation: Ribera del Duero

Vintage: 2020

Size: 750ml