Vega Sicilia - Ribera del Duero Valbuena 5° 2020

Decanter

About the wine:

Produced from a selection of more ethereal plots that lack the power sought for Unico, Valbuena 5º is however much more than a younger sibling to the iconic wine. The 2020 vintage, the fruit of a difficult growing season due to both natural and operational problems (remember the 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 base layer, while Assam and Oolong tea leaves add umami depth. Tannins are highly detailed and deep. 2025-2040

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

The Valbuena 2020 comes from a year marked by COVID-19 and lots of rain before 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, chilled for 24 hours, then fermented with indigenous yeasts from a stainless steel tank foot. 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 bone structure, it's more fluid, it's only medium-bodied, perhaps due to dilution from the 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 juiciness and change texture. 2025-2037

Jancis Robinson

About the wine:

The oenological work is therefore impressive, as the wine shows intensity, the presence of ripe black fruit and soft tannins on the mid-palate but drier tannins 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 a classic Valbuena. 2024-2050

James Suckling

About the wine:

Valbuena 5 was the little Unico, and today it's more like its little brother, with many similarities and just a little less depth and tannin. The Valbuena 5 comes from younger vines and sometimes from different plots than the 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- to full-bodied, with mellow tannins and a very long finish. Drink from 2025, but it will keep for years.