Numanthia 2004 Bodega Numanthia Terms D.O.Toro Year assessment in the Toro: Outstanding Types of vine: 100% Tinto de Toro (Tempranillo) of 70 to 100 years old shoots Development: 19 months into new barrique made of French Allier oak Alcohol: 14.6% Recommended decanting time: 3 -4 hours Our drinking recommendation: 2007 - 2018+ SPECIALIST PUBLICATIONS/YEAR 2004: 97/100 points Guia Proensa, the best wines from SPANIEN 2007 98/100 point 98/100 Punkte Robert Parker: 2004 Numanthia Numanthia Toro, Castilla Leon, Spain Tempranillo (a dry red table wine) Wine Advocate #169 (Feb 2007) Rating: 98 points Drink 2007-2032 Estimated Cost: $57.00 "Any aspiring collectors should add a case of this to their stash. The 2004 Numanthia comes from a different terroir with a different clone of Tinta de Toro. The vines for this cuvee range from 70-100 years of age with tiny yields of 1 ton of fruit per acre. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in barrel followed by 19 months in new French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wine is a glass-coating opaque purple with a killer nose of mineral, pencil lead, wild blueberry, and blackberry liqueur that roars from the glass. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, dense, and already beginning to show complexity within its layers of spicy black fruits. There is immense power, well-concealed ripe tannin, and the well-delineated finish lasts for over one minute. This is a sensational effort which in a perfect world should be cellared for a decade and enjoyed over the following 25+ years. However, the elderly among us should not feel guilty about opening a bottle now."