Ribera Del Duero DO Vega Sicilia Valbuena 5 ano Famille Alvarez 1997
13.5%
0.75L
Intensity
What makes this wine special?
The younger sibling of the world-famous Uni de la Vega Sicilia undergoes a slightly shorter élevage but is just as magnificent!
More info
Lot presentation
Ribera Del Duero DO Vega Sicilia Valbuena 5 ano Famille Alvarez 1997
The wine
Vega Sicilia Unico’s younger brother, Valbuena is bottled after 5 years of aging. Sophisticated and elegant, the wine is characterised by notes of ripe fruits and spices.
Planted on mainly limestone soil similar to Burgundy, the Vega Sicilia vineyard is home to one of the world's greatest wines. "Vega" means "fertile plain" in Spanish, while "Sicilia" comes from a linguistic distortion. When the estate was founded in 1864, it went by the name Coto de Santa Cecilia, referencing a chapel dedicated to Saint Cecilia. Over time, Cecilia became Sicilia, and the name by which we now know the estate.
Out of the property’s 1000 hectares, which can be as high as 700 metres above sea level, looking down on the Duero (or Douro) River, 210 are dedicated to grape growing. Today, Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec) make up 20% of the vines with the remaining 80% being the local Tempranillo. The climate at the estate is continental with an Atlantic influence.
Vega Sicilia's defining feature lies in its unique ageing process, which is a subject of much controversy. The wine is aged in large oak barrels from the very first year, and then decanted into different barrels of varying ages and sizes. Next comes an ageing period of five to ten years, allowing this phenomenally powerful wine's temperament to be softened. Some mature vintages were aged for over 25 years in barrels. Nowadays, the estate operates a more ‘classic’ ageing process of no more than ten or so years.
Detailed characteristics
- Quantity:
- 1 bottle
- Level:
- 1 Normal
- Observations:
- 1 Marginally marked label, 1 Slightly scratched label
- Origin:
- private individual
- Type of cellar:
- underground, natural cellar
- Recoverable VAT:
- no
- Wooden case:
- no
- Local excise duty seal:
- no
- Alcohol percentage:
- 13.5 %
- Region:
- Spain - Castillo and Leon
- Appellation:
- Ribera Del Duero DO
- Owner:
- Famille Alvarez
- Vintage:
- 1997
- Colour:
- red
- Service temperature:
- 16°
- Viticulture:
- environmentally friendly More information....
- Intensity:
- full-bodied
- Leading aroma:
- black fruit
- Tasting occasion:
- food-friendly wine
- Grape variety:
- Malbec, Merlot, Tempranillo
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Some bottles may carry a digital technology / sticker / barcode applied by the producer or a third party, which sometimes is not visible. iDealwine and IWA (the licensed operator of auction sales) do not look for, test or describe these digital additions, whose ability to work depends on third parties and may be affected by the age of the bottles and their storage conditions. This type of digital technology is not included in the lot’s guaranteed characteristics. This includes their presence, their functionality, or any information or services to which they give access. The licensed operator of auction sales fully guarantees the wines' authenticity and that they match their description, regardless of any digital technology added to the bottle.
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