2002 Vega Sicilia Valbuena 5
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Tasting notes
Absolutely fantastic: everything pleasurable about wine here: the most ethereal, divine sensory enjoyment – pure quality. The fruit is mushy yet finely preserved; the complexity is already profound, and the palate is dry with finely sieved tannin, giving a hint that it still has years to age. An opera of a wine. (RH)
Critic scores
Jay S Miller, Wine Advocate
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The team is at pains to emphasize that this is not a second wine of Vega Sicilia but that this, released at five years, is a very different style of wine – and its quality is helped by the fact that Vega Sicilia Unico is not made every year, 2002 was a difficult vintage and they say they sacrificed a third of the potential Unico production to make Valbuena. Piercing aroma with fine, silky fruit – extraordinary silkiness of texture in fact. Sweet and sleek, almost modern in its build. (JR)
Ruby-red. Smoky cherry, plum and blackcurrant on the nose, with suave cigar box, tobacco and anise nuances. A supple, sweet midweight, with stylish red and dark berry flavors underscored by graphite and cured tobacco. There's ample concentration here to reward a few more years of aging but it's drinking very well right now. Pretty impressive in the context of the vintage.
The Valbuena offering is a brilliant introduction to the winery. The 2002, from a supposedly average vintage, is purple in color with an expressive nose of pain grille, earth, herbs, lead pencil, and blackberries. It offers layers of ripe fruit, excellent depth and concentration, and enough stuffing to drink well for the next 10+ years. Importer: Christopher Cannan, Europvin; www.europvin.com
About the producer
Vega Sicilia is undoubtably Spain’s most famous winery; a true icon in fine wine with a history dating back to 1864.