2019 VALBUENA 5º

The 2019 Valbuena 5º is primarily Tempranillo with a 3% dash of Merlot from the Vega Sicilia Estate and was aged for up to two years, one in foudres and the other in different kinds of oak barrels. Garnet-red with a faint bluish-purple sheen. The aromas feature cedar and vanilla accompanied by plum, sour cherry and subtle pine hints. The dry and velvety palate shows a faintly chalky texture and supple tannins that create an unctuous but taut character. The energetic red is wrapped in a gently plush blanket.

- Joaquín Hidalgo (09/2023)

Extremely perfumed with violets and a bouquet of flowers. Then there’s blue fruits such as blueberries and raspberries. Medium-bodied with beautifully crafted tannins that give a superb mouthfeel and finesse. Refinement with depth and focus. So wonderful to drink now but it will be even better in four or five years. Try in 2027. (08/2023)

There's a quiet power to this polished red, with sculpted, chalky tannins enmeshed in a graceful range of ripe black plum and black cherry flavors, plus accents of Earl Grey tea, violet and cigar box. Long and silky, with a vibrant, well-spiced finish. Tinto Fino and Merlot. Drink now through 2035. 16,965 cases made, 1,578 cases imported.

- A.N.

The obsession in 2019 was to avoid excess ripeness and to keep the freshness, so they did a softer vinification, used larger vats for the élevage and used less American wood. The 2019 Valbuena was produced with a blend of Tinto Fino with 3% Merlot. It has 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.88 and 4.6 grams of acidity. I love the nose; it is perfumed and subtle. And the wine is beautifully textured; the tannins are very fine, silky even, quite different from the tannins from the other 2019s from the group that I tasted next to this, Macán and Pintia. A triumph over the conditions of the year, it's a more elegant Valbuena than I anticipated. 190,490 bottles, 5,581 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in June 2022.

- Luis Gutiérrez (06/2024)