Vega Sicilia Valbuena 2003

Dark cherry, cured meat and dried rose on the nose, with warm baking spice and well-integrated vanilla oak. On entry it's dense and fleshy, chewy tannins grip firmly without turning harsh, while a vein of tangy minerality keeps the wine from feeling heavy. Bitter cherry skin and stone carry through a finish that's longer and juicier than anyone should expect from a year as punishing as 2003. The heat that savaged much of Europe that summer has left almost no trace. A genuine achievement in freshness from difficult raw material.