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Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"The 2011 Valbuena was fermented plot by plot, something they started after a deep soil study in the 2010 vintage. 2011 was a very warm and ripe vintage in the zone, and the challenge was to keep the freshness. There are more black fruit aromas, subtle spices and hints of complexity, as well as tertiary aromas that are quite classic and turn more balsamic with time in the glass."
94 Josh Raynolds - Vinous Media
"Inky ruby. Sexy, high-pitched dark berry and floral pastille aromas are complemented by suggestions of oak spices and smoky minerals. Shows a surprisingly light touch on the palate, offering sharply focused blackberry, bitter cherry, licorice candy and floral pastille flavors that deepen and become sweeter with air. Harmonious tannins add grip to the extremely long, sappy finish, which leaves behind notes of dark berry preserves and candied lavender."
94 Wine Enthusiast
"Super tight, toasty berry and spice aromas are classic RDD. This is tannic as nails right now, but the future, albeit one that's down the road, is positively bright. Flavors of mocha, blackberry, espresso and toast finish hard and tannic. If ever a wine was made for long-term cellaring, this is it. Drink from 2019 through 2040."
"Valbuena, is the purest expression of the Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) in Vega Sicilia. Tinto Fino is clearly the predominant wine in the assemblage of the varieties that make up this magnificent wine. The other variety used is Merlot, which is added to a greater or lesser extent depending on the vintage.
The Valbuena Tempranillo is obtained from plots located on gentle concave slopes that descend from the wasteland. Those soils are made up of material that was eroded and accumulated as colluvial on the lower slopes, developing a high profile soil, with a specific important evolution with the formation of a deep calcic horizon.
Valbuena provides us with a direct and understandable view of the greatness of this "terroir" with the direct influence of each vintage. Its production remains unchanged meaning that it is each year's weather factors that mark the differences between the different harvests.
Fermentation at a controlled temperature with native yeast in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation also takes place in stainless steel.
After fermentation, it is aged for five years, between wood and in the bottle, which is why it is called Valbuena 5ยบ. French and American wood, new and used 225-litre barrels, 20,000 litre vats, a long and complex process for a great wine." -Winery
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