2004 Vega Sicilia Valbuena (Ribera del Duero)

The saturated purple 2004 Valbuena offers up an expressive perfume of mineral, scorched earth, espresso, incense, and black cherry. This is followed by a medium to full-bodied, intensely flavored, spicy wine with layers of fruit, soft tannins, and a pure, lengthy finish. It will benefit from another 5-7 years of bottle age and offer optimal drinking from 2015 to 2029. 94 points

A pillow-talker. all suggestion and secrecy. Then a beefy body that lurks beneath, but the cassis fruit is there too, with leather and liquorice or perhaps medicine. The palate is marvellously balanced, but rather withheld – there is a ripe morello quality just peeping over the rim. Drink 2012-2022. 17+