Vega Sicilia Valbuena 2002 5,° is a brilliant ruby in aspect, with fresh red fruit, pencil lead, cigar box and plum on the nose, leading to a full bodied, silky, concentrated palate of dried dark fruit, chocolate, licorice, black pepper and garrigue spice. Prominent tannins and racy acidity. 

Serve with beef and game dishes.

The Vega Sicilia vineyards are located in Valbuena de Duero, in the province of Valladolid, on an estate made up of a fertile plain that follows the course of the river. The vineyard was first planted in the 1860s by Señor Locanda who introduced Bordelais varieties to the region along with the local Tinto Fino (Tempranillo). Since 1983 Vega Sicilia has been owned by the Alvarez family. The estate has a plantation of 250 hectares of vineyard, comprising 80% Tinto Fino and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. The soils are clay-limestone and alluvial. Yields are strictly limited to 22 hl/ha which ends up as just 2 kilos of grapes per vine.

Three styles of wine are made. Good cuvées are bottled and released on to the market after 5 years as Valbuena - typically one year in large wood, 3 years in barrels and a year in bottle. It tends to include a larger proportion of Merlot in the blend than the even more structured Unico.  Unico wines represent the finest cuvées are aged first in large wood and then for many years in small barrels until judged ready for bottling. These are only released following a minimum maturation period of 10 years in a combination of barrel and bottle. Some barrels of these very finest cuvées are kept back and much later on blended together for inclusion in the Reserva Especial.