The finest Spanish red imaginable
2005 Vega Sicilia Tinta Valbuena 5°, Ribera del Duero, Spain (£117.15, Berry Bros & Rudd, 0800-280 2440,
www.bbr.com
).
It is always exciting to taste the new releases from Spain’s most revered estate, Vega Sicilia. Huddled in the cellars of Berry Bros, on St. James’s Street, last week, a few lucky invitees had a first sniff of the new foursome of wines.
The 2007 Pintia, the rustic, Toro red, showed typical wild, rasping tannins and a sense of urgency and pagan power that seemed a little untamed for its £45 price tag. The 2006 Alion looked suave, gentlemanly and polished, but perhaps it lacked a little oomph for its near-£60 spend.
The 2005 Valbuena was next, and I was completely beside myself with joy. Available en primeur only, and shipped at the end of the summer, this wine is the finest young Vega I have tasted in years.
It is set to be a classic, too, with its spectacular, soaring, black-fruit flavours and immense energy. The finale of 2000 Único (£259.15) was admittedly delicious, but I cannot justify the massive price with Valbuena sitting at less than half that price and with so much bravado and excitement on show.
If you have deep pockets and some serious self control, reserve some stock of this wine and then wait five years for it to soften – by then, it will surely be the finest Spanish red imaginable.
● Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year.
