VEGA SICILIA - Valbuena No 5 2018

Luis Gutierréz the critic Robert Parkers wrote in 2021:

"The 2018 Valbuena comes from a cooler vintage with good yields that required sorting and selection in search of a happy and vertical version of the Valbuena that puts a little more pressure and gives the wine a little more oak, especially American (5% It was made from 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Merlot, cold soaked for three to four days and fermented with native yeasts, followed by malolactic fermentation in stainless steel.Aging took place in new and used 225 liter oak barrels and 21,000 liter oak vats With an alcohol content of 14.5%, a pH of 3.8 and 4.78 grams of acid (tartaric), it is mature and has a smooth acidity that gives it a smooth mouthfeel This is a very spicy vintage for Valbuena, approaching the style of Único (while at the same time I felt that Toro's Pintia 2018 is approaching the aromatics of some Valbuena vintages, such as 2010) It was a late aging year with a trend for freshness in the wines. On the palate it is medium to full-bodied with very fine tannins that make the wine beautifully structured and very elegant. The Valbuena of recent years shows great regularity, here with more tension and freshness of the 2017, even a little more balsamic. 180,580 bottles, 5,528 magnums and some larger formats were produced. It was bottled in May 2021."