Robert Parker (95)
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, it's more fluid, it's only medium-bodied, perhaps because of the dilution from the rain, and 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.
James Suckling (96)
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.
Jancis Robinson (17.50)
97% Tinto Fino, 3% Merlot. From the famous Vega Sicilia vineyard, located between 720 and 930 m above sea level on a limestone marl soil. For the first year of ageing, barrels (80% French, 20% American). For the second year, 6,000- and 9,000-litre foudres. 6 months in stainless steel for blending and 30 months of resting in the bottle. Production: 186,286 bottles, 5,673 magnums, 400 double magnums, 35 Imperials and 5 Salmanazars.
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)
Decanter (96)
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.
