This wine is as prestigious as its big brother Unico, although its blend is slightly different.
It is named after the village where the estate lies. The vines are at least 20 years old.
Vinification
The grapes are harvested by night and quickly put in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks.
The wine follows the same ageing process as the Unico, first in vats and then in French and American oak barrels for one year, then in vats again, then in bottles for one or two years. The Valbuena is released only after 5 years.
Storage potential
14 years.
To serve
Serve at 18°C after decanting (at least during the first 7 years after bottling).
Trial analysis
All Vega Sicilia wines combine concentration and elegance, intensity and typicity of the grape; complexity and length.
Valbuena is a lite bit more open and accessible than Unico and Reserva Especial, which are almost esoteric.
It is a powerful wine, well structured, well balanced and complete; a fine touch of acidity - typical of Tempranillo - gives it a fresh backbone.
Give it some years to ripen.