The Treasure of Toro - Termanthia & Numanthia 2007

In 2006 LVMH (owners of Krug and Yquem) cast their sights on Toro, one of Spain's most exciting wine regions, and acquired Bodegas Numanthia.  In Toro the summer months are hot but the elevation (710m) ensures Toro has cool nights and it is these thermal variations, often greater than 20°C, that help to produce grapes of exceptional quality and balance.

Numanthia is one of those rare finds - a great track record, feted by the critics and yet accessibly priced (280 GBP/12).  Never rated lower than 92 points in the Wine Advocate in the past ten years! 

Termanthia is the super-cuvée produced by Bodegas Numanthia, made from tiny quantities of pre-phylloxera vines aged over 120 years old. Both wines are 100% Tinta de Toro, a clone of Tempranillo, which here gives a more powerful yet opulent style than in Rioja, from small berries. 

"The 2007 Numanthia is marginally more approachable but it, too, is a dense, layered, voluminous, structured wine. Given the requisite cellaring, it will eventually become both elegant and powerful."  

94+ points, Jay Miller, WineAdvocate 

"Opaque purple. Higher-pitched than the Termes, displaying scents of spicy red berries, cherry and rose, plus a hint of smokiness. Juicy, strikingly fresh red fruit flavors are lifted by tangy minerality and are framed by silky tannins. Distinctly graceful for a wine with such serious palate impact, showing building spiciness on the long, sappy, focused finish. I suspect that this wine will be drinkable on the young side but it's balanced to age."

 92 points, International Wine Cellar

Tasted here in the office: the 2007 is incredibly powerful - voluptuous and complex with tarry dark fruits combined with dark cherry, liquorice and mineral notes, and really well-integrated high quality oak. Velvety tannins give structure without dominating. Lush, sexy and intense, this will start to drink fantastically well with five to ten years' ageing. 

"The 2007 Termanthia is, like the 2007 Numanthia, a bit more accessible than its 2006 counterpart. That is to say that it should begin to become civilized with a mere 6-8 years of cellaring and should offer a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2037."

97+ points, Jay Miller, Wine Advocate