The Wine Advocate - 30th Dec 2020 - Luis Gutiérrez - 20165 Vega Sicilia • Valbuena - 96/100 - $227 - 2021-2030
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.

James Suckling - Thursday, November 8, 2020 - Vega Sicilia Ribera del Duero Valbuena 5 2016 - 95/100
Gorgeous aromas of blackberries, black chocolate and shitake mushrooms follow through to a full body with round, plush tannins that are corduroy in texture. The flavors are intense, but not overdone. Drink now or hold.

Tim Atkin - Vega Sicilia Valbuena Reserva 2016 - 97/100
You wouldn't call Valbuena a poor man's Vega Sicilia at €85 a bottle, but it's certainly more accessible, price-wise, than Único. Sourced from north-facing slopes in Valladolid, this is a cuvée of Tinto Fino with 6% Merlot that demonstrates the quality of an excellent vintage. Orange zest, blackberry and dark chocolate flavours are embellished by refreshing acidity and subtle, spicy, scented oak. One of the best Valbuenas of recent years. 2023-32