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Decanter (95)
In almost reverse proportions to the 2014, the 2004 spent 16 months in 60% American and 40% French oak barriques - 100% new - which was then followed by seven months in used barriques and finally two months in large-format vats. It’s magisterially mature, with glorious tertiary aromas plus hints of red fruit. On the palate the bright fruit promised by the aromas breaks through, and the tannins gently roll back. The wine finishes with an outburst of flavour. Very long, with powerful elegance.د.إ2,455.00 -
(6x75cl) 2016
Wine Advocate (96)
The 2016 Valbuena was produced with a blend of 94% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 6% Merlot from 140 hectares dedicated to this wine. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, and the first year it matured in barrels (75% French, 25% American) and the second year in large oak vats. This is again a floral and elegant vintage of Valbuena, very much in line with what has happened in the best vintages since 2010. 2016 is going to be a wine that the public is going to like; it has an extroverted personality and is perfumed and generous, juicy and tasty and nicely textured, with fine-grained tannins and very focused and clean flavors. 2016 was a year of very good freshness in Ribera del Duero, a year they like even better than 2018. 182,882 bottles, 6,030 magnums and a few larger formats were produced. It was bottled in June 2019.د.إ3,725.00 -
Wine Advocate (96)
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.د.إ1,750.00 -
(1x300cl) 2020Jeb Dunnuck (97)
The 2020 Valbuena 5° ages five years in oak and bottle, which gives it its name. Harvest was challenging due to Covid and rain, requiring due diligence in the field and a faster, earlier harvest than anticipated, the grapes coming from the Vega Sicilia estate’s vines with about 35 years of age. It’s an ethereal, medium-bodied wine of lovely delicacy and elegance, 97% Tempranillo blended with 3% Merlot, then aged 12 months in French and American oak, six months in stainless steel and then 18 months in bottle. Blackcurrant, cedar, and balsamic highlight a citrusy freshness. It will hit its prime in five years and age another 20-25.د.إ3,201.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
The latest vintage of Etienne Cordonnier’s wine, made with the help of Rioja legend Jesus Madrazo, is every bit as exciting as the 2014. Now housed in its own winery in Languardia, this is fasting turning into one of the very best producers in the region. Combining Tempranillo with 7% Graciano, it’s wonderfully perfumed and refined with polished tannins, tangy acidity and orange peel and blackberry fruit flavours. Delicious.د.إ1,180.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Now established in his own state-of-the-art modern winery and the owner of 19 hectares in Languardia, Navaridas and Lapueble de Labarca, divided into 19 different parcels, Etienne Cordonnier is producing one of Rioja’s most distinguished wines. The 2016 is the best release yet, made from Tempranillo and 8% Graciano and showing scented, floral elegance, fine tannins and subtle wood. Margaux meets Rioja?د.إ1,400.00 -
Wine Advocate (96)
The 2021 Señora de Las Alturas comes from an ancient plot on the gravel and silt soils on the banks of the Alhama River that they call Pontigos that also produces their wine Lecciones de Vuelo that is a collaboration with a different winemaker every year. It fermented in open 1,000-liter pools with 5% Garnacha Blanca followed by malolactic and 15 months' élevage in second use 500-liter French oak barrels. It has moderate ripeness, a medium-bodied palate, moderate alcohol (13.66%) and very fine tannins. There is a turn toward finesse and elegance in all the wines, and it is also noticeable here. This is a wine that feels very consistent too. It's serious and balanced, with elegant notes of flowers, berries and herbs and super fine gained tannins. Superb, and as with many wines, this is their finest vintage to date. 2,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2023.د.إ929.00 -
James Suckling (94)
White peach, apple, pear, crushed stone, smoked almond, asphalt and dried spice on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with bright acidity and a spicy, creamy palate. Long and concentrated. Drink now.د.إ912.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
What a début! Even given the distinguished track record of consultant Jean-Claude Berrouet, this is a remarkable wine. Elegant and refreshing, it has very fine tannins, floral top notes, subtle oak and just a hint of leafiness from 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.د.إ2,010.00 -
Wine Advocate (89)
The 2009 Vizcarra Torralvo comes from Mambrilla de Castrejon from organically grown vines and is aged in new barriques, 95% French and the rest American. It actually handles the oak well and offers attractive notes of kirsch fused with orange blossom on the nose. The palate is rounded and harmonious on the entry with good acidity, leading to a refined, focused finish that suggests some thoughtful winemaking. Drink now-2017.د.إ761.00
While Rioja is still the region that springs to mind for most consumers when thinking about Spain, wines from other regions are slowly yet assertively making themselves known. There are the dark, arresting wines of Priorat, the crisp, apply whites made from the Godello grape, the often almost Burgundian Ruedas, the ‘cult’ wines like Vega Sicilia… not just rustic, oxidative wines any longer, but rather intriguing and individual vinous experiences.
