Valbuena 5º Año 2020
The serene elegance of Vega Sicilia in an unforgettable vintage
Valbuena 5º 2020 is the most refined expression of the Vega Sicilia style: a deep, silky, and delicate Ribera del Duero, with five years of aging that grants it complexity and balance. It originates from an exceptional harvest, marked by challenge and precision, and presents itself as a collector's gem that captivates from the very first sip.
A wine that embodies the elegance, patience, and expertise of a legendary winery.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
General features
Grape variety
3% Merlot, 97% Tempranillo
Type of bottle
Bordeaux Bottle
Capacity (cl)
75
Bottling
Mayo de 2023
Alcohol content (% vol.)
14
General Information
Valbuena 5º 2020 bears the hallmark of Vega Sicilia, the most iconic winery in Spain and the first in the history of Ribera del Duero. Founded in 1864, its wines were already revered decades before the designation of origin was established. Inspired by the great reds of Bordeaux, this winery has elevated Spanish wine to the highest level, with a philosophy based on excellence, patience, and absolute respect for the vineyard. Each bottle is the result of a centuries-old legacy and an obsession with quality.
Valbuena 5º 2020 is an exceptional wine made primarily from Tempranillo, complemented by a touch of Merlot, sourced from low-yield, high-altitude vineyards. Its aging process spans five years between French and American oak barrels, large-capacity vats, and bottles, giving it depth, freshness, and an enveloping texture. This vintage, marked by climatic challenges and a precise harvest, offers a more ethereal, elegant, and subtle expression of the Valbuena style. As stated on its label, this vintage has been selected to be bottled in 186,286 Bordeaux bottles, 5,673 Magnums, 400 Double Magnums, 35 Imperials, and 5 Salmanazars.
When it comes to pairing, it is the ideal companion for haute cuisine dishes, red meats, traditional stews, and aged cheeses. In short, it is a wine that demonstrates why Vega Sicilia is synonymous with greatness and why Valbuena 5º is one of the most sought-after reds in the world; a luxury, a sensory experience that must be lived. Once again, critics are in awe: Robert Parker has awarded it 95 points, and the Guía Peñín, 96, among others.
Tasting notes
Valbuena 5º 2020 presents itself as delicate and profound, with aromas of black fruit, spices, balsamic notes, and fine woods.
On the palate, it is silky, balanced, and persistent.
The winery
Vega Sicilia is the most renowned winery in the entire history of Spanish wine. The average quality of its wines has remained at the highest level throughout its more than one hundred and fifty years of history, and its legend has survived—and will continue to survive—generations of winemakers and owners. The current owners, the Álvarez Mezquíriz family, purchased the winery in 1982 and have managed to maintain a consistent approach without abandoning evolution or even avant-garde innovation, two essential tools to stay at the top nowadays.
Likewise, the brilliant work of the various technical directors of Vega Sicilia in recent decades has made it possible for the wines of this legendary winery to remain at the highest level. In 1998, Xavier Ausás, at just 28 years old, took over the oenological reins left by a heavyweight like Mariano García. Since August 2015, Gonzalo Iturriaga de Juan has replaced Xavier Ausás as Technical Director of the Tempos Vega Sicilia group.
The winery owns 210 hectares of vineyards, 95% of which are planted with tinto fino (tempranillo) and 5% with cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The vines have an average age of 33–36 years, are spread across 19 soil types—mainly sandy-loam and clay-loam—and are influenced by a continental climate with Atlantic influence.
Vega Sicilia is a luxury that only a few can access. Its extremely limited production forces the distribution of its wines through allocations, and if the winery detects that these allocations are being used to resell the product to other businesses, they cancel them without hesitation. Currently, the parent company (which has its own cooperage) markets three red wines: Valbuena 5º Año, Vega Sicilia Único (with a minimum of seven years of aging in oak barrels), and Vega Sicilia Único Reserva Especial, made with a coupage of three—sometimes two—vintages of Único.
The average production is:
150,000/200,000 bottles of Valbuena 5º Año
50,000/100,000 bottles of Único
18,000 bottles of Único Reserva Especial