Winemaker Notes
An intense, robust and vivacious wine with phenomenal structure. Impressive fruit expression together with perfectly ripened tannins lead to a meaty mouthfeel. A long and persistent finish of tobacco leaves and balsamic notes highlight the complexity and handcrafted character of this wine.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very pretty, balanced red with lead-pencil, berry and floral character on the nose and palate. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Refined and clean.
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Wine Enthusiast
Intense aromas of charred, smoky, lemony oak add depth and masculinity to ripe black-fruit scents. Although tough and tannic, this is built like a fortress. Flavors of black pepper, dark chocolate and blackberry finish with complex notes of cocoa and herbs. Drink this currently young and tannic Toro through 2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Numanthia is a powerful and concentrated Tempranillo with abundant aromas of peat, tar, shoe polish and ripe dark fruit with hints of minerality and a marked earthiness. The palate is warm, with noticeable alcohol that seems to coat the tannins while the acidity is barely enough to provide freshness for such an amount of glycerol. With time, the aromas are clearly from the barrel: dark chocolate, espresso coffee and toasted bread. XXL for sure, for fans of the style. Drink 2015-2019.
Numanthia is located in the Toro region of Spain. Its four vineyards are located along the south bank of the Duero River.
The wine is named after a legendary Spanish city that was destroyed (after 20 yrs of resistance) by Roman legions. It is to Spain what the hilltop village of Masada is to Israel: a monument of history. Its 40 hectares of land are covered with an abundance of elements derived from the disintegration of Pliocene grit, clay and limestone.
Numanthia's first vintage was produced in 1998 and received a 95-point rating from Robert Parker. Since then, the Toro region has been producing wines that have begun to rival those of Spain's richest wine-producing regions of Ribera del Duero, Rioja and Priorat.
Notoriously food-friendly, long-lasting and Spain’s most widely planted grape, Tempranillo is the star variety of red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja terms Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva indicate both barrel and bottle time before release. Traditionally blended in Rioja with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano, the Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero typically stands alone. Somm Secret—Tempranillo claims many different names depending on location. In Penedès, it is called Ull de Llebre and in Valdepeñas, goes by Cencibel. Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal, Tempranillo plays an important role in Port wine.
Spain's remote, high elevation Spanish wine zone between the regions of Bierzo and Ribera del Duero produces intense, full-bodied reds made from Tempranillo, locally called Tinta de Toro. This local variant has adapted to the region’s climatic extremes and recognizing its potential, top producers from Ribera del Duero and Rioja have invested heavily in its vineyards.