BODEGAS Y VINEDOS VEGA SICILIA Tinto Valbuena 5 - Ribera del Duero 2020 Bottle

Description

The 2020 Valbuena 5º from Ribera del Duero is a remarkable vintage, earning 96 points from James Suckling and Decanter. This wine, often regarded as the younger sibling of Unico, offers an open and linear profile with notes of iron, blackberries, cedar, and cocoa powder. Its medium- to full-bodied texture is enhanced by nuanced power, featuring oregano, dried herbs, dark chocolate, and roasted coffee beans. The Wine Advocate highlights its refined structure and polished tannins, perfect for pairing with food and aging until 2037. Vibrant purple and red fruits provide an alluring bouquet that evolves with each swirl. This vintage showcases the elegance and sophistication characteristic of Valbuena, making it a delectable choice for collectors.

*****

JAMES SUCKLING 96 points
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. - Zekun Shuai Senior Editor.

DECANTER 96 points
Tasted by: Ines Salpico
(at Mandarin Oriental, London, 20 Jan 2025)
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040
Produced with a selection form the more ethereal parcels that don't deliver the power sought for Unico, Valbuena 5º is however much more than a younger sibling of the iconic wine. The 2020 vintage, a child of a challenging growing season, both due to natural and operational challenges (remember Covid?...), it is a great achievement of nuanced power and detailed complexity, with a luscious fruit core lined with oregano, dried sage and thyme. Dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans build a broody background layer while Assam and Oolong tea leaves add umami depth. Beautiful detail and depth to the tannins.

THE WINE ADVOCATE 95 points
Drink Date: 2025 - 2037
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. - Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

VINOUS 95 points
Drink: 2025 - 2040
The 2020 Valbuena 5º is Tinta del País from Ribera del Duero. Balsamic and herbal aromas mingle with forest, red fruit, cherry, violet and a hint of apple peel on the nose. The palate is intense, with a velvety texture, moderate concentration and enveloping flow. Chalky tannins and a touch of creaminess define the structure. Ample and richly flavored, with subtle oak in the background. A fine example of elegant Ribera. - Joaquín Hidalgo

JANCIS ROBINSON 17.5 points
It has been a year in which the vineyard gave less concentration, so the oenological work is impressive because the wine shows intensity, the presence of ripe black fruit and tannin that is sweet in the mid palate but ends up being drier on the finish. Very ripe black fruit and a touch of violet stand out. Little oak impact for the Valbuena style. This is one of the most tactile vintages and still has many years ahead of it. Dense texture, powerful, and still very primary for the average Valbuena. (FC)

WINE ENTHUSIAST 93 points
Vibrant purple and red fruits, accented by alluring notes of dark earth. Mineral, but also plush, offering a relatively easy sipping experience. The most exciting aspect of the wine was its bouquet, which continued to grow after each swirl. But, if I'm being honest, there wasn't quite enough tension for it to excel into the higher ranks. — Brandon Borcoman