Vega Sicilia Valbuena 2015

Dark plum, black cherry compote, and a wave of clove and dried violet, Valbuena 2015 opens with considerable presence. Mocha and incense smoke add depth beneath the fruit, while the wine's generous, sweet-fruited core unfolds across a full, concentrated mid-palate. Tobacco leaf and spice cake build toward the back, carried by a warm vanilla current from the oak. The tannins are youthful and firm but well-knit, and the finish stretches long and precise, with a mineral undercurrent that keeps everything focused. Power and polish coexist here without either dominating. Give it five years minimum; a decade would be better.