Decanted and consumed over six hours Deep ox-blood colored, full bodied Tertiary nose notes. Leather, black tea, old wood, dusty,, iodine, pencil shavings Dry, tastes like the nose. Some plums off the back end. Well balanced. A well made wine. QPR is too high IMHO.
Steak and chicken wings...
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I'm seldom wanting to drink wines like this anymore, but when I'm craving one, it certainly scratches the itch. With additional air, more soil notes emerge to balance out the big ripe black/dark red fruits. Avg+ complexity and finish. Seems in a good spot now, but has time in hand, too. highly recommended
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Dark inky purple, full bodied wine Dark fruit, earthy notes, pencil lead, cigar box Nicely balanced. Still a good amount of dark fruit on the palate. Medium finish. Maraschino cherries. Thick, sticky goodness.
Very happy I finally cracked a bottle. Definitely at its peak. Lovely wine and a great QPR in comparison to its French and American counterparts.
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My first Valbuena. Opened after a 2006 Brancaia Ilatraia (which I did not like much) as I was expecting something of a similarly big style, with generous, sweet black fruit and a fair bit of oak (I think I had an Alion once before) - and then this blew the Ilatraia simply away. A fairly mature dark garnet, slightly browning at the translucent rim. An intriguing and complex nose with some dried fruit, but not the sweet kind, earth and sulphur. A mature palate with secondary notes of earth, leather, bitter chocolate. Very well balanced and precise. Fine to medium tannins. Medium finish. Very, very good. 93-94
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Your Thoughts On ... Vega-Sicilia (Rotterdam): Sweet red cherries, blackberries and kirsh liquor. On palate slightly drying tannin, red fruited with less acidity and structure compared to the 2006. Medium lenght finish!
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Decanted for 2 hours. Nice and complex bouquet made of red cherries, blackberries and kirsh liquor. It adds smoked aromas, cedar, tobacco as well as mint and eucaliptus after an hour in glass. On palate this is very elegant and pleasurable. On palate entry it has a present, slight drying tannin. Fruit is mouth covering, enveloping the palate with fruit, sweet tannins and a wonderful acidity. Finish is remarkably long. A very well made wine. Excellent (92-94).
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Boerne Wine Club - Spain (Scenic Loop Cafe, San Antonio, TX)): Opened an unknown time prior to tasting, but likely >4hrs. Nose was quite fragrant, roasted, with coffee and licorice, and a mild citrus edge. Palate was quite smooth with a glycerine feel that coats the mouth. Dark fruit profile, with a mild peppermint quality and a lengthy creamy coffeee finish. Topped only by the Unico this night. Would expect to improve with time, though surprisingly open now. Group #2
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UWS 2010-01 (@ JB): A lot of everything in the mouth as well as the bouquet. Ripe red and black fruits. Good acidity and bitterness. Long and complex finish. Ready now, but plenty of future. Excellent wine.
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"Slumming" with the Friday Brown Bag Group (Rich & Dana's): Garnet color. Aromas of prunes and raisins, with dried flowers. Flavors of tobacco and blackberry. A subtle citrusy/grapefruit note appeared with time in the glass. Reminds me of an Amarone. Has some redeeming qualities, but no rating as this was presumed to be a flawed bottle, as this showed nowhere near what it should have.
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Wine Education Service - Ribera del Duero (LSE): Still looking quite youthful, opaque. A developed nose, still fruity, baked red fruit, complex. Lovely mouth but this wine needs patience, it'll be magnificent in 10 to maybe 30 years.
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Cherry on color. Powerfull on the nose, some oak, vanilla, tobacco, but well integrated. Could have some more fruits, a little sour/bitter smooth aftertaste. Mature tannins, medium body. Expected a little more.
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I don't have any other real reference points for this wine, but I didn't get it at all. Just masses of horribly unintegrated vanilla and oak. Maybe more understanding of the tradition would help me understand it more, but really not my style at all.
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PI. Além dos aromas finos, impressiona o corpo sedoso, com taninos muito macios, redondos -- algo nem sempre comum aos Valbuena. Ao mesmo tempo, mantém um lado instigante graças à acidez que lhe dá vivacidade e frescor. Notas de tabaco, cassis, cereja, couro e terra molhada. Perfil realmente diferente, mais polido, sem arestas, dando impressão de estar mais pronto do que outros Valbuena, mesmo de safras mais antigas. Excepcional.
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Maybe due to its not so pristine storage this wine seemed to be prematurely at peak. Dark cherry in color with blood-orange discs fading to brick showing signs of aging. Nose is prudent but quite complex, tobacco, earth, crème de cassis, red apple, strawberry and a typical note of smoke. Swirling the glass, more notes of cinnamon, clove, cigar box and vanilla are evident. As it enters the mouth, a fresh and creamy sensation is palpable. Acidity is lively but under control, tannins are mature, well integrated. This wine is full bodied but not overly heavy, it’s lush but not fat, it’s lean but not light. Its weight verges perfection. Its finish is long and persistent. Thinking on what to pair this with, I would probably not. The intense aromatic complexity as well as its texture are good enough to be enjoyed by itself, in good company, of course. 94PTS.
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Nariz fora do comum, delicado mas ao mesmo tempo marcante, daqueles que chegam a dar vontade de não beber para prolongar o prazer. Notas florais, resinosas e de frutas vermelhas. Complexo e envolvente, com ótima acidez, taninos macios e grande persistência. Excepcional.
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Rubi fechado, límpido e brilhante. Aromas que remetem imediatamente a Vega Sicilia, com perfume intenso, mas delicado, complexo e envolvente. Notas resinosas se intercalam com cereja, couro, especiarias, flores e liquirizia. Na boca é muito macio, embora apresente bons taninos de qualidade e acidez viva. Menos potente, mas mais redondo que o 98, com uma maciez completamente diferente, dois estilos de um mesmo vinho. Final muito longo. Decantar por pelo menos 2 horas. Excepcional.
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Vega-Sicilia library wines with proprieters and Michael Broadbent (Christies NYC): Ruby red with a dark core. The nose isn't as penetrating. This wine appears much more refined with some strawberry nuances. Firm and crisp in the mouth. It's alcohol is lower than the 2001 at 14% - Not nearly as big and brawny as the 2001 but again the tannins are overpowering the wine at this point hiding its true potential.
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Vega Sicilia Masterclass with Xavier Ausas (London): This has the same apparent level of youth as the 1999, but is much darker and more opaque. The nose shows vanilla, tobacco and lots of dark plummy black fruit. On the palate the immediate impression is of plenty of forward fruit and lots of tannic structure. This is a complex wine, much more so than the 99, and while the 99 had a lighter style all round, the 2000 also has an impressive elegance. Big potential. I have to agree with Xavier Ausas that the 2000 combines the finesse of the 99 with the power of the 98. Yet another difficult year, though this time the problems were during the growing season rather than at harvest. Two hard frosts at flowering set things off badly and things didn't improve. 45% - 50% of the crop was removed in a green harvest, with the result that yields were very low. I have a note here that says that in 2001 and 2002 the crop was even smaller, down to 6 litres per hectare: I guess that should be 6 hectolitres per hectare, but even that seems extraordinarily low. This wine was bottled in July 2003, and will go on sale in 2005. Back to 85% tempranillo.
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12/31/2023 - Romar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still drinkable after 4 hours decanting
The body is medium/full, has smooth texture and medium finish with low acidity.
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3/19/2022 - FEDEVIDAL wrote: flawed
defectuoso avinagrado
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10/4/2020 - Genghis88 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted and consumed over six hours
Deep ox-blood colored, full bodied
Tertiary nose notes. Leather, black tea, old wood, dusty,, iodine, pencil shavings
Dry, tastes like the nose. Some plums off the back end. Well balanced. A well made wine. QPR is too high IMHO.
Steak and chicken wings...
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8/21/2020 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
I'm seldom wanting to drink wines like this anymore, but when I'm craving one, it certainly scratches the itch. With additional air, more soil notes emerge to balance out the big ripe black/dark red fruits. Avg+ complexity and finish. Seems in a good spot now, but has time in hand, too. highly recommended
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8/3/2019 - Genghis88 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark inky purple, full bodied wine
Dark fruit, earthy notes, pencil lead, cigar box
Nicely balanced. Still a good amount of dark fruit on the palate.
Medium finish. Maraschino cherries. Thick, sticky goodness.
Very happy I finally cracked a bottle. Definitely at its peak. Lovely wine and a great QPR in comparison to its French and American counterparts.
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7/21/2018 - David J Cooper wrote: 87 Points
Medium dark red. Some decent spicy red cherry fruit but a bit dull. Tasty but not notable red fruit flavours and a mid weight finish.
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6/2/2018 - ravbik wrote: 94 Points
Elegant , plush, blackberries, plum, toast, vanilla , great finish .
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8/5/2017 - G_H wrote: 91 Points
Extremely elegant, surprisingly light with a dense acidity but very long
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11/17/2013 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 93 Points
My first Valbuena. Opened after a 2006 Brancaia Ilatraia (which I did not like much) as I was expecting something of a similarly big style, with generous, sweet black fruit and a fair bit of oak (I think I had an Alion once before) - and then this blew the Ilatraia simply away.
A fairly mature dark garnet, slightly browning at the translucent rim. An intriguing and complex nose with some dried fruit, but not the sweet kind, earth and sulphur. A mature palate with secondary notes of earth, leather, bitter chocolate. Very well balanced and precise. Fine to medium tannins. Medium finish. Very, very good. 93-94
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11/12/2013 - jkuanl wrote:
Ripe plummy nose, sweet and full-bodied, some tannic and acidic bite. Some ways to go before really developing secondary notes.
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5/2/2013 - Barry Rothof wrote: 91 Points
Your Thoughts On ... Vega-Sicilia (Rotterdam): Sweet red cherries, blackberries and kirsh liquor. On palate slightly drying tannin, red fruited with less acidity and structure compared to the 2006. Medium lenght finish!
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12/24/2012 - Periko Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Nice and complex bouquet made of red cherries, blackberries and kirsh liquor. It adds smoked aromas, cedar, tobacco as well as mint and eucaliptus after an hour in glass. On palate this is very elegant and pleasurable. On palate entry it has a present, slight drying tannin. Fruit is mouth covering, enveloping the palate with fruit, sweet tannins and a wonderful acidity. Finish is remarkably long. A very well made wine. Excellent (92-94).
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6/13/2011 - Nutty08 wrote: 92 Points
Boerne Wine Club - Spain (Scenic Loop Cafe, San Antonio, TX)): Opened an unknown time prior to tasting, but likely >4hrs. Nose was quite fragrant, roasted, with coffee and licorice, and a mild citrus edge. Palate was quite smooth with a glycerine feel that coats the mouth. Dark fruit profile, with a mild peppermint quality and a lengthy creamy coffeee finish. Topped only by the Unico this night. Would expect to improve with time, though surprisingly open now. Group #2
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3/25/2010 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
UWS 2010-01 (@ JB): A lot of everything in the mouth as well as the bouquet. Ripe red and black fruits. Good acidity and bitterness. Long and complex finish. Ready now, but plenty of future. Excellent wine.
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8/21/2009 - AllRed wrote:
"Slumming" with the Friday Brown Bag Group (Rich & Dana's): Garnet color. Aromas of prunes and raisins, with dried flowers. Flavors of tobacco and blackberry. A subtle citrusy/grapefruit note appeared with time in the glass. Reminds me of an Amarone. Has some redeeming qualities, but no rating as this was presumed to be a flawed bottle, as this showed nowhere near what it should have.
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4/27/2009 - tendring wrote: 98 Points
Wine Education Service - Ribera del Duero (LSE): Still looking quite youthful, opaque.
A developed nose, still fruity, baked red fruit, complex.
Lovely mouth but this wine needs patience, it'll be magnificent in 10 to maybe 30 years.
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11/7/2008 - Stickan wrote: 91 Points
Cherry on color. Powerfull on the nose, some oak, vanilla, tobacco, but well integrated. Could have some more fruits, a little sour/bitter smooth aftertaste. Mature tannins, medium body. Expected a little more.
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12/23/2007 - Vinho wrote: 94 Points
PI. Idem. 93-94pts. Excepcional.
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12/10/2007 - abh wrote:
I don't have any other real reference points for this wine, but I didn't get it at all. Just masses of horribly unintegrated vanilla and oak. Maybe more understanding of the tradition would help me understand it more, but really not my style at all.
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9/24/2007 - Vinho wrote: 94 Points
Mesmas impressões. Textura muito sedosa, menos rústico do que em outras safras e ótimo para se beber agora.
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8/1/2007 - Vinho wrote: 94 Points
PI. Além dos aromas finos, impressiona o corpo sedoso, com taninos muito macios, redondos -- algo nem sempre comum aos Valbuena. Ao mesmo tempo, mantém um lado instigante graças à acidez que lhe dá vivacidade e frescor. Notas de tabaco, cassis, cereja, couro e terra molhada. Perfil realmente diferente, mais polido, sem arestas, dando impressão de estar mais pronto do que outros Valbuena, mesmo de safras mais antigas. Excepcional.
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7/16/2007 - DoubleMagnum wrote: 94 Points
Maybe due to its not so pristine storage this wine seemed to be prematurely at peak. Dark cherry in color with blood-orange discs fading to brick showing signs of aging. Nose is prudent but quite complex, tobacco, earth, crème de cassis, red apple, strawberry and a typical note of smoke. Swirling the glass, more notes of cinnamon, clove, cigar box and vanilla are evident. As it enters the mouth, a fresh and creamy sensation is palpable. Acidity is lively but under control, tannins are mature, well integrated. This wine is full bodied but not overly heavy, it’s lush but not fat, it’s lean but not light. Its weight verges perfection. Its finish is long and persistent. Thinking on what to pair this with, I would probably not. The intense aromatic complexity as well as its texture are good enough to be enjoyed by itself, in good company, of course. 94PTS.
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2/9/2007 - Vinho wrote: 94 Points
Nariz fora do comum, delicado mas ao mesmo tempo marcante, daqueles que chegam a dar vontade de não beber para prolongar o prazer. Notas florais, resinosas e de frutas vermelhas. Complexo e envolvente, com ótima acidez, taninos macios e grande persistência. Excepcional.
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1/25/2007 - Vinho wrote: 94 Points
Rubi fechado, límpido e brilhante. Aromas que remetem imediatamente a Vega Sicilia, com perfume intenso, mas delicado, complexo e envolvente. Notas resinosas se intercalam com cereja, couro, especiarias, flores e liquirizia. Na boca é muito macio, embora apresente bons taninos de qualidade e acidez viva. Menos potente, mas mais redondo que o 98, com uma maciez completamente diferente, dois estilos de um mesmo vinho. Final muito longo. Decantar por pelo menos 2 horas. Excepcional.
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11/30/2004 - jamiekutch wrote: 91 Points
Vega-Sicilia library wines with proprieters and Michael Broadbent (Christies NYC): Ruby red with a dark core. The nose isn't as penetrating. This wine appears much more refined with some strawberry nuances. Firm and crisp in the mouth. It's alcohol is lower than the 2001 at 14% - Not nearly as big and brawny as the 2001 but again the tannins are overpowering the wine at this point hiding its true potential.
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11/22/2003 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 92 Points
Vega Sicilia Masterclass with Xavier Ausas (London): This has the same apparent level of youth as the 1999, but is much darker and more opaque. The nose shows vanilla, tobacco and lots of dark plummy black fruit. On the palate the immediate impression is of plenty of forward fruit and lots of tannic structure. This is a complex wine, much more so than the 99, and while the 99 had a lighter style all round, the 2000 also has an impressive elegance. Big potential. I have to agree with Xavier Ausas that the 2000 combines the finesse of the 99 with the power of the 98.
Yet another difficult year, though this time the problems were during the growing season rather than at harvest. Two hard frosts at flowering set things off badly and things didn't improve. 45% - 50% of the crop was removed in a green harvest, with the result that yields were very low. I have a note here that says that in 2001 and 2002 the crop was even smaller, down to 6 litres per hectare: I guess that should be 6 hectolitres per hectare, but even that seems extraordinarily low. This wine was bottled in July 2003, and will go on sale in 2005. Back to 85% tempranillo.
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