2019 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena 5", Ribera del Duero, Spain
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ABOUT THIS WINE
Valbuena 5º is Vega Sicilia’s purest expression of Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and takes its name from its extended five-year aging process between wood and bottle. The 2019 is composed of 97% Tinto Fino and 3% Merlot, sourced from the Vega Sicilia estate’s vineyards at 700–900 meters elevation. The vines averaged 35 years of age, and the grapes were harvested by hand in small 12-kilogram cases.
2019 was a drier vintage than the preceding years, producing exceptionally healthy fruit. Rainfall in September helped the skins achieve full maturity, while the winemaking team focused on retaining freshness and avoiding excessive ripeness. Fermentation took place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks with indigenous yeasts, with particularly gentle extraction. For the élevage, Vega Sicilia reduced the influence of American oak in favor of French oak with lighter toast, while part of the wine spent its first year in large wooden vats to build tension. During the second year, maturation in vats further developed complexity and refined the wine’s texture.
The result is a wine that beautifully balances power with finesse. The 2019 is succulent and concentrated yet wonderfully tense and delicate, with dark fruit, spice, savory complexity and a polished, elegant texture. It is expressive and approachable while possessing the structure for extended aging; Vega Sicilia gives the vintage a cellaring potential of approximately 25 years under optimal conditions.
ABOUT THIS PRODUCER
Vega Sicilia is one of Spain’s most historic and prestigious wine estates and the benchmark producer of Ribera del Duero. The estate’s modern winemaking history dates to 1864, when Eloy Lecanda began professional wine production on the property. Over the following generations, Vega Sicilia established an international reputation for extraordinarily long-lived, complex wines and became one of the defining names of Spanish fine wine.
In 1982, the Álvarez family acquired Vega Sicilia, beginning a new chapter for the historic estate. Their philosophy has centered on uncompromising quality, meticulous vineyard management and extraordinarily patient élevage. The family subsequently expanded TEMPOS Vega Sicilia to include Alión in Ribera del Duero, Pintia in Toro, Oremus in Tokaj and Macán in Rioja, while Vega Sicilia remains the historic heart of the group.
Vega Sicilia’s identity is inseparable from time. Its greatest wines are released only after extensive maturation in different sizes and types of wooden vessels followed by bottle aging, allowing them to develop remarkable complexity, elegance and longevity before reaching the market. Único represents the estate’s most iconic and long-lived expression, while Valbuena 5º offers a more direct expression of the estate and each individual vintage, released after five years of aging between wood and bottle.