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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.9 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 61 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Rani on 1/20/2024 & rated 93 points: Tasted blind next to the 1998. Much younger feeling and looking than the 1998. I had no problem guessing it’s a Ribera. This one exhibited dusty black fruit, hung meat, at the beginning of its drinking window. Still some astringency and saline notes, but really nice. (450 views) | | | Tasted by Derek Darth Taster on 10/20/2023 & rated 94 points: Lunch at Bacata. Tasted blind. Drank in Grassl 1855.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, garnet colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of old leather, tertiary earth, ripe dark plums, black cherries, blackberries. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, high tannins, high alcohol (14%), full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark soy sauce, tertiary earth, sweet tea leaf, old leather, ripe dark red plums, black cherries, blackberries. Long finish.
Very good quality. Already in tertiary phase but with good structure and ripe fruit still supporting. Good time to drink up and enjoy.
Apparently in 2001 no Unico was made and all fruit went into this Valbuena5.
Bottle 038061. (771 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 1/21/2023 & rated 94 points: Regular dinner group (@ My place): Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, licorice and black olives. On the palate red and dark berries, a firm amount of good and fresh acidity, melted tannin with a beautiful and very soft bite. Good length. Beautiful wine at its peak now. (1794 views) | | | Tasted by robmatic on 12/18/2022 & rated 95 points: Looms large. Young and intense, and just lots of everything. Sweet wood varnish on the nose, like a piece of vintage furniture, and then some soy sauce. Chunky on the palate, powerful, long. Put this away in the cellar for another 10 years. (1305 views) | | | Tasted by ash_then_chase on 8/30/2022 & rated 93 points: An ode to our August 2021 trip. Dark cherry and a touch of raspberry, balances evocative and sensual like no other. Such a pretty acidic and perfumed red fruit blend, with… sea salt salinity — over time — along with 75-80% dark chocolate cracked off the bar. Maddy gets all of the spices… vanilla, all spice, xmas hearth; I get white pepper. Recall this is the Valbuena year that has ALL of the Unico grapes. 75 min decant before first sip. @ Gramercy Tavern (1633 views) | | | Tasted by mxpbuy on 5/29/2022 & rated 96 points: 90 minute decant. Dark from core to rim. A monster of a wine. Highly extracted overripe red fruits with a touch of plum and blackberry that were chewy and not jammy that offset a strong acid base and for palate piercing and coating experience. 45 second finish. (1672 views) | | | Tasted by acidqueen on 1/9/2022 & rated 92 points: Hard to score this given how young this is drinking. Deep, dense, black fruit, cedar. This opened up a bit after decanting but the next day it was closed again. The wood is still too evident. This seems very promising but I think it will be many years before really ready. (1939 views) | | | Tasted by In2wines on 1/24/2021 & rated 94 points: Bordeaux January 2021
This candidates for being one of the best Valbuena's ever made, it's still quite young (compared to the 2004 Valbuena) for Christmas, this had almost none secondary aromas, almost meaty, very dense almost a port-like nose, this I found a bit more closed than normal, it' needed 3 hours, the fig-like fruit is more refinded than the 2004 for excample and the tannin extremly fine and with the air it became more Pomerol-like, very intense & floral.
Drink 2020-2032 (2503 views) | | | Tasted by robmatic on 12/15/2020 & rated 95 points: Meaty, cherry, sappy, iron. Gritty but very fine tannins. Juicy, extracted, powerful and long. Entirely worthy of its reputation and price tag. (2270 views) | | | Tasted by brianakrin on 4/7/2020 & rated 98 points: Excellent, drinking well after a 40 min decant. great bouquet, tannins have softened, balanced from start to finish , dense flavors, long aftertaste. ready, no hurry. (2547 views) | | | Tasted by tedcholl on 12/25/2019 & rated 94 points: Other worldly. I've decided that the best wines transport you to some special place and this one did that for me on this Christmas 2019. So smooth. Blackberry, leather, cedar. But the flavors don't begin to describe the wine. Perhaps there aren't the words or perhaps my ability to express falls short. Wines like this is why people drink wine. Paired wonderfully with the Texas brisket cooked for 17 hours over Mesquite wood.
Rated the 2001 vintage on Dec (2604 views) | | | Tasted by DrZett on 10/16/2019 & rated 96 points: Unfortunately the last bottle out of my cellar...even better than the last two times a few years ago. Very elegant and fine body. Perfect structure, beautiful integrated tannins, nice fruit and acidity, absolutely beautiful - even better than some Unicos I had. Simply great! (2803 views) | | | Tasted by Wolfde on 11/19/2018 & rated 95 points: Unbelievably good. Enjoyed with a Spanish themed meal. From the first moment, the aroma filled with fruit, flowers and spice. Those were also present on the palate plus undertones of mineral and earth. Mild tannins, and a long smooth finish. An extraordinary wine. (2472 views) | | | Tasted by Tartiflette on 10/19/2018 & rated 93 points: What a wonderful wine it was. After a long double decant which was really needed it shone. Wonderful texture and a fruit which is so strong yet silky. (2421 views) | | | Tasted by DrZett on 10/11/2017 & rated 95 points: Now a bottle from my own cellar and it was even better than the restaurant bottle last year! Just a beautiful aged wine with a great body and a loooong aftertaste. Awesome! (3802 views) | | | Tasted by BradE on 7/26/2017: Had the 01 next to a few 98's and it was a step up. Really a terrific Valbuena. Apparently its the Unico juice as they didn't make 01 Unico. (4010 views) | | | Tasted by DrZett on 12/29/2016 & rated 94 points: Had this one at Sansibar restaurant Sylt, Germany along with the 1999 and the 2002 vintage. The 2001 was my clear favourite. Nice structure, soft and silky tannins and a long finish. (4225 views) | | | Tasted by Papies on 6/4/2016 & rated 92 points: This is the 3rd time we try this wine int he last 3 years and its definitely improving at every step.
Surprisingly mellow on the ripeness and oak and it seems that the wine has balanced out that lactic oaky feel it had a year ago. On this occasion it was really singing if we might say. 92-93 (4728 views) | | | Tasted by Blaireaux on 3/13/2016 & rated 92 points: Agree with previous commentator. Just lovely and complex with big fruit balanced with enough acidity. Oak is under control, and yes watch the fine sediment. Still slightly dry finish. (4629 views) | | | Tasted by VlgJeff on 1/30/2016 & rated 93 points: First impressions were the red fruits that jumped out of the decanter, along with leather and tobacco (be careful of very fine sediment). After almost one hour the wine integrated very nicely, showing red fruits, cedar, a touch of spice, and a bit more than enough balancing acidity. Given that there was no Unico in 2001, Valbuena received the best of the VS tempranillo and may have been blended with more than the usual amount of merlot, which shaved some complexity. Drink now to 2020. (3512 views) | | | Tasted by Papies on 11/15/2015 & rated 90 points: Definitely requires decanting and even at age of 14 has a pretty much full on ripe core of fruit and lots of oak, like lactic at times feel of oak. We tried this blind and guessed new style Rioja.
Has that usual heavy side of fruit of Valbuena but its also quite charming and goes very well with heavy foods. Good acidity, lots of ripe fruit. Hopefully time will help this wine develop. 90-91 for now (3638 views) | | | Tasted by rayq on 8/14/2015 & rated 89 points: Deep red colour. Fairly muted nose.
On the palate this is not currently showing the class of complexity I'd expect. It has lost its youthful fruit and not yet reached a point where it is showing the complex notes of aged tempranillo.
The alcohol is a touch prominent. A little disappointing to be honest, I had expected more from this. A 2005 tasted two years ago was far more satisfying. (3268 views) | | | Tasted by portman63 on 4/12/2015 & rated 93 points: Opened at a tempranillo tasting of Rioja, Ribera del Duero, & Toro. It came across as closer to Bordeaux in style (since this was a non-Unico year - w/ some Cab & Merlot). Very polished showing black currant fruit with some leather and spices with fine tannins. Little evidence of oak influence at this point. This is great now or will continue to be for 5-10 years. (2838 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 5/23/2014 & rated 91 points: Rioja, Ribeira en Toro (@ Dordrecht): Beautiful bouquet with ripe dark forest fruits, spiciness and some perfume. On the palate fresh acidity, some chocolate and slightly sticky tannin. Classical wine. (3893 views) | | | Tasted by Strikermax on 5/23/2014 & rated 93 points: Kruidige, bloemige neus met zwart fruit en rook. In de smaak rode en zwarte bes en een mooie frisheid, balsamico. Iets plakkende tannines, lang aanhoudend. (4085 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Producer Website2001 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Valbuena 5° Tempranillo 80%
Merlot 10%
Cabernet Sauvignon 10%
Tempranillo BlendTempranillo is the backbone of wines made ihvhhcn the best well-known Spanish regions Rioja and Ribera del Duero, but is also grown as far afield as Mexico and Australia.
As a flavor profile, red fruits like strawberries and cherries can predominate - but with a rustic edge. The Many wines made from Tempranillo will spend a few years in barrel and bottle before reaching the consumers . Many Tempranillo-based wines see a few years of oak - add that to a few years of bottle and the wine can give a subtle - and occasionaly not-so-subtle - leathery mouthfeel. The combination of the tart fruit and tannins make this wine very food friendly.Spain Vinos de España - Wines of Spain (Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior) | Wikipedia
Wine Map on weinlagen-info
Spain is the third largest wine producing nation in the world, occupying the majority of the Iberian Peninsula with vast diversity in climate, culture, and of course, wine. From inky, dark reds of the [Priorat] to dry, white Finos from Andalusia, Spain can easily boast of elaborating a wide variety of notable styles. Within Spain there are currently 62 demarcated wine regions, of which a handful have gained international recognition: [Rioja], Priorat and [Ribera del Duero]. Yet these regions are only a small sample of the high quality wines Spain produces. Regions such as Cava, Penedes, Somontano, Galicia, Rueda and Jerez are only a few of the numerous regions worthy of exploration throughout Spain. Spain can also lay claim to having the most land under vine in the world, growing up to, by some accounts, 600 indigenous varietals of which Tempranillo is their most well known. Other popular varietals include [Garnacha], Bobal and Monastrell for reds and for whites; the infamous [sic] Palomino Fino grape which is used in the production of sherry wine, Pedro Ximenez in Montilla Morilles, Albarino used in the creation of the bright, effervescent wines of Galicia, and Verdejo in Rueda. - Source: - Catavino.net
Spain is not in the forefront of winemaking for its dessert wines, other than for its sweet wines from Sherry country including the highly revered Olorosos (when sweetened). But apart from Sherry Spain has a range of styles of dessert wines, ranging from the those made from the Pedro Ximenez grape primarily in Jerez and Montilla-Moriles) to luscious, red dessert wines made in the Mediterranean from the Garnacha (Grenache) grape. Some good Moscatels are made in Mallorca, Alicante and Navarre. The northwest corner of Spain, Galicia, with its bitter Atlantic climate, is even making dessert wines, called “Tostadillos” in the village of Ribadivia (similar to France’s “Vin de Paille”). The Canary Islands have made interesting dessert wines for centuries (they are mentioned by Shakespeare, for example) and in recent years the quality of winemaking has been improved and the Canary Islands wines are being better marketed now. The winemaking styles for “Vinos Dulces” are also diverse, from “Late Harvest” (Vendimia Tardía) to “Fortified Wines” (Fermentación Parcial). Based on in-spain.info.Castilla y León Castilla y León Wine (Turismo Castilla y León )Ribera del Duero El Corazón del Duero - The Heart of Duero (Consejo Regulador de la D.O. Ribera del Duero) |
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