Numanthia: ‘A Toro game-changer’ – JancisRobinson.com

Numanthia: ‘A Toro game-changer’

Two 96-pointers from a legend in the making

The Toro region has the oldest Tempranillo vines in Spain. Bodegas Numanthia is a modern icon in the making and they’re saving these ancient vines, known locally as Tinta de Toro*, by raising the reputation of the region’s wines.

Whilst Numanthia and its ‘baby brother’ Termes offer a rare combination of power and elegance, the estate has ramped up the finesse and delicacy of the wines by picking about two weeks earlier than in the past, and by using less oak and gentler extraction in the cellar. The latest releases have both received a whopping 96 points from James Suckling!

‘A Toro game-changer’ – Jancis Robinson

'Bodega Numanthia offers a fresh, elegant take on Toro. I will never look at a Toro wine in quite the same way again.' – Andy Howard MW, JancisRobinson.com.

2017 Numanthia, the estate’s signature wine, comes from a 100-parcel selection of ungrafted, unirrigated 70 to 100-year-old vines. With yields as low as 2 tonnes per hectare, the concentration is otherworldly, with black olives, earthiness and great length.

2018 Termes is the more approachable red and comes from 30 to 50 year-old vines. It shows blackberries and graphite and has been described as ‘classical’ (Wine Advocate), with ‘a step up in quality’ (James Suckling) compared to previous vintages.

Named after a legendary Spanish city, said to have resisted Roman invasion for 20 years in 133 BC, Bodega Numanthia is situated in Valdefinjas, D.O. Toro – closer to Portugal than Rioja. Numanthia has also obtained organic certification for 116 of their 200 hectares, and their main external suppliers have started the certification process.

*Tinta de Toro is the local clone of Tempranillo. It has evolved to thrive in the extremely harsh conditions of the Toro region and presents as tiny black berries, with flavour in spades.

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