Vega Sicilia - Valbuena 5º 2009 [magnum]

James Suckling

A ripe and gorgeously plush wine, full-bodied with velvety tannins. Powerful dense ripe plum fruit and spice. Vanilla and cocoa, too. Creamy and so drinkable. Drink or hold.

Decanter Magazine

The 2009 is a youthful, lighter and fresher Valbuena which has not been over-extracted. It may lack the weight and intensity of a vintage for long ageing, but it’s a lovely wine. Aromas of blueberry and wild herbs lead into a refined palate with silky tannins. Maturation has been well handled, with five months in 20,000-litre vats, 18 months in new American and French oak barrels, three months in used casks, and finally five months in large vats.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

No, the 2009 Valbuena is not a current release, but I had a bottle blind at a tasting and most people, including myself, guessed it was a Grand Cru Burgundy, so aromatic, floral, expressive and elegant it was. We couldn't believe it when the wine was revealed. Later, a bottle of the 2010 was opened, and it confirmed it as the best Valbuena of recent times, with a rare combination of elegance and power, combining characters of fine Burgundy and elegant Syrah from the Northern Rhône.

They seem to never stop at Vega Sicilia. The latest development has been to increase the volume they can age in large oak vats to some 40,000 liters, so that the ratio of wine to oak can be a little lower as they use more vats and fewer barriques.

Wine Spectator

Guia Peñin

Wine Enthusiast

This is the best Valbuena since 2005, and it may be better than that. Exotic aromas of leather, lemon peel, sawdust and boysenberry come in front of a tannic but lively and intricate palate. Baked, heady flavors of black fruits, pepper and mocha finish with chocolate and vanilla as well as juicy acidity. Drink now through 2022.

Falstaff

The first vintage without malbec. Developed nose, some fig, almost malty, leading to discussions at the table about oxidation. But seems to become rather fresher in the glass. Very creamy initially, slowly building drive, mellow grainy tannins, the alcohol is at the upper end of the harmony window, but the fruit is much more vivid than in the aroma, powerful spicy finish with notes of herbs, chocolate and fresh roasted coffee. Dry but not a drying background.