Vega-Sicilia Valbuena 5 proof 2017 / 750 ml.

2017 was marked by the frost of the night between April 27 and 28 that Vega Sicilia fought with their anti-frost towers. The end of the season was warm, and the overall rain was low, 235 liters. The 2017 Valbuena is marked by these circumstances, produced with 94% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 6% Merlot, with good ripeness (14.5% alcohol) and mellow acidity (4.65 grams of tartaric acid and a pH of 3.85). The grapes were cooled down and took three to four days of maceration to start fermenting with indigenous yeasts. The wine matured in a combination of new and used French and American 225-liter oak barrels and 21,000-liter oak vats for almost three years. The result, for whatever reason, was nothing short of spectacular. The wine is perfumed, floral, expressive and balsamic like few vintages before. It doesn’t feel like a 2017 at all; it is harmonious, and the tannins were fine. It’s an amazing Valbuena that clearly transcends the character of the vintage. What I see here is that since 2010, the wine has a very high consistency. And in 2017 it excels. 170,071 bottles, 5,516 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in June 2020. (Luis Gutiérrez)

This shows wonderful aromas of blackberries, violets and sandalwood with vanilla undertones. Full-bodied with racy tannins and gorgeous fruit. Linear and very long. Slightly chewy. Needs time to come together, but already excellent quality. Drink after 2023.

Faced with a challenging vintage early in his tenure as the technical director of Vega Sicilia, Gonzalo Iturriaga chose to go gentle on the grapes. The vines had budded into a warm spring, were hit hard by frost, then struggled to mature their fruit through a dry season. Harvesting early, Iturriaga diminished the percentage of new oak barrels for the first year of aging and moved the wine into wooden casks for the second year, offering what at first appears to be an austere wine. Patience takes this past its earthy notes of salted plum and under-ripe black currant. It remains savory as the tannins soften toward green herb and the flavors open to anise. A wine of depth and textural elegance, this 2017 shows the talent of the vineyard whether you give it hours in a decanter now or cellar it for ten years.