Valbuena 5

Pair it with wild red meats.

Autumn was a little drier than usual. It gave way to winter with a good amount of water accumulated to face the beginning of spring 2015 with good water reserves in depth. However, the first part of spring was dry, which caused the plant’s budding to be delayed compared to a normal year. Thanks to the absence of important spring frost and a rainier finish than usual, spring caused the plant to accelerate its pace. The extreme heat of the month of July ensured good sanity of the bunches. In the end, the good conditions of summer helped to have a very healthy and slightly advanced harvest compared to an average year with a remarkable balance between all the components of the grape.

Valbuena is the purest expression of a red in Vega Sicilia, with five years of ageing between oak and bottle, which gives the wine its name: Valbuena 5º. The first year in oak barrel is of great importance to find the additional body and completing its ageing in wooden vats, where it shows an extraordinary change in texture, gaining in precision, elegance, tension and subtlety.

Few wines have a history as distinguished as that of Vega Sicilia. Founded in the 1860’s, its reputation on its flagship vintage has for more than 100 years produced two great wines, each appropriately named "Único." It was at Vega Sicilia in Ribera del Duero, two hours from Madrid, that Tempranillo proved its potential for greatness. When the estate's original founder, Don Eloy Lecanda Chaves returned from France with cuttings of Bordeaux varietals, he planted them alongside the indigenous variety, then known simply as Tinto del Pais, or “Country Red”, but today known as Tinto Fino or Tempranillo. Surprisingly, it was the Tempranillo that produced the superior wine. Today, the market for Vega Sicilia is one of scarcity and increasing demand. Vega Sicilia’s growing fame and desirability is testament not only to the estate’s enduring legacy but to the world’s craving for wines of history and noble bearing. Vega Sicilia's vintage Único, Reserva Especial and Valbuena are such wines.