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Kirjeldus

Vega Sicilia on Hispaania prestiižeim veinimõis, mida hellitavalt kutsutakse ka Hispaania “First Growth’iks”. Väga vähestel on nii eriline ajalugu nagu neil. Veinimaja asutati 1864. aastal ja alates 1982. aastast kuulub see Álvarezi perekonnale, kes on mahukate investeeringutega selle veinimõisa täiesti uuele tasemele viinud. Näiteks on väga erakordne, et veinimõis valmistab ise majasiseselt oma tammevaate.

Vega Sicilia valdused asuvad 985 hektaril, millest 210 hektarit on veinipuude all. Veinipuude keskmine vanus on 35 aastat ja veiniaedade kõrgus merepinnast on 700 meetrit. Saagikus hoitakse väga madal, keskmiselt 20-25 hl hektari kohta. Töö veinimõisas on juba üle 20 aasta orgaaniline.

Valbuena 5º valmistatakse sarnaselt Unicole 96% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo), aga erinevalt Unicost, kus ülejäänud moodustab Cabernet Sauvignon, on siin 4% Merlot viinamarja. Valbuena 5º kääritamine ja sealhulgas malolaktiline kääritamine toimub loodusliku pärmi abil terasmahutites. Vein tuleb müügile alati 5 aasta vanuselt, kõigepealt laagerdub vein 30 kuud väikestes Prantsuse ja Ameerika tammevaatides ning seejärel 8,500 ja 21,000 liitri suurustes tammevaatides. Enne müügile tulekut puhkab vein veel 18-20 kuud pudelis. Vein on joomisküps praegu, vananemispotentsiaal on veinimeistri sõnul 25-30 aastat.

James Suckling 96 p
Wine Advocate 96 p

“The 2018 Valbuena comes from a cooler vintage with good yields that required sorting and selecting in search of a happy and vertical version of Valbuena, pushing a little more and giving the wine a little more oak, especially American (5%). It was produced with 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Merlot that went through a three- to four-day cold soak and fermented with indigenous yeasts followed by malolactic in stainless steel. The élevage was in new and used 225-liter oak barrels and 21,000-liter oak vats. It has 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.8 and 4.78 grams of acidity (tartaric), so it’s ripe and with mellow acidity that gives it a mellow mouthfeel. This is a very spicy vintage for Valbuena, getting closer to the style of Único (while at the same time I felt the 2018 Pintia from Toro was getting closer to the aromatics of some vintages of Valbuena, like 2010). It was a late-ripening year with a tendency toward freshness in the wines. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with very fine tannins that made the wine nicely textured and very elegant. There is a lot of regularity in the Valbuena of the last few years, here with more tension and freshness of the 2017, a little more balsamic even. It was bottled in May 2021. Drink 2023-2032.” Wine Advocate 96 points

“Deep and complex, with fresh black and blue fruit and an attractive floral and peppery note to this vintage, followed by hints of cedar, sweet spice and vanilla. Very dusty and juicy on the palate, with mealy, powdery tannins that interweave with the fruit. A Valbuena 5 that you can appreciate earlier. Drink or hold.” James Suckling 96 points