Vega Sicilia - Ribera del Duero Valbuena 5° 2020

Decanter

About wine:

Produced from a selection of more ethereal plots that do not offer the power sought for Unico, Valbuena 5º is nevertheless much more than a younger sibling of the iconic wine. The 2020 vintage, the result of a difficult growing season due to both natural and operational problems (remember Covid?), is a great success of nuanced power and detailed complexity, with a core of succulent fruit edged with oregano, dried sage, and thyme. Dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans form a background layer, while Assam and Oolong tea leaves add depth to the umami. The tannins are very detailed and deep. 2025-2040

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About wine:

The 2020 Valbuena comes from a year marked by COVID-19 and heavy rainfall before the harvest, resulting in a more ethereal wine with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.9, and 4.45 grams of acidity. It was made with 97% Tinto Fino and 3% Merlot, cooled for 24 hours, then fermented with indigenous yeasts from a stainless steel starter culture. The first year, it was aged in oak barrels and vats, and the second year, it was aged exclusively in oak vats of different sizes, 8,500 and 21,000 liters. In 2020, the wine has a finer structure, is more fluid, is only medium-bodied, perhaps due to dilution from rain, and the tannins are fine and polished, but the wine is less juicy. It calls for food. With time in the glass, the wine opens up and becomes more aromatic, and even seems to gain in juiciness and change texture. 2025-2037

Jancis Robinson

About wine:

The winemaking is impressive, as the wine shows intensity, ripe black fruit, and soft tannins on the mid-palate, but drier on the finish. Very ripe black fruit and a touch of violet stand out. There is 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 a classic Valbuena. 2024-2050

James Suckling

About wine:

Valbuena 5 used to be the little Unico, and today it is more like its little brother, with a lot of similarity and just a little less depth and tannins. Valbuena 5 comes from younger vines and sometimes from different plots than Unico. On the palate, it is more open and linear, while the Unico is deeper and more vertical. Notes of iron, blackberry, cedar, minerals, and cocoa powder. Medium-bodied to full-bodied, with mellow tannins and a very long finish. Drink from 2025 onwards, but it will keep for years.