Collector Wines

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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.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPA big monster of a wine that going to have a very long life, the 2004 Numanthia (100% Tinta de Toro aged in new barrels) is still deeply colored, yet slightly translucent and no bricking. This beauty takes some time to unwind but offers beauty blackcurrant, cedar/pencil lead, earth, tobacco and spicy wood aromas and flavors. Much more polished and elegant than on release, when it was an oak bomb, it still has some wood tannin showing, is full-bodied, impressively concentrated and balanced. It shines today with a decant but has two decades of life ahead of it.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDRich and deep, but still holding back, this powerful red shows concentration and balance, offering cassis, blackberry and roasted plum fruit, with dark notes of mineral, smoke and earth and hints of licorice and spice, all wrapped in muscular but velvety tannins. Best from 2008 through 2020. 350 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThis is the second wine of Numanthia-Termes after the single-vineyard Termanthia, though I'd place it first for its wild blend of sage and sanguine aromas, a primitive and primary nose that's hard to resist. It's a selection from old vines, some over 100 years old. The wine's intriguing flavors evolve toward caramelized blueberries and sweet spices, combined with a robust wall of mineral tannins. This Toro's strength of character sets it up to evolve for a decade or more.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SDark violet. Spicy dark berry aromas are complicated by orange peel, cinnamon and clove. Medium-bodied black raspberry and cassis flavors are given an exotic accent by Asian spices and violet pastille. The silky tannins are almost overwhelmed by the wine's spicy fruit. Finishes brisk and long, with an echo of cracked pepper.Vinous Media | 93 VM

One of the finest Valbuenas available, showcasing great depth, structure and detail while remaining polished. It exhibits notes of blackberries, cocoa powder, graphite, and high-quality sandalwood, with hints of lard and violets. The standout feature this year is the quantity and quality of the tannins—huge, yet incredibly refined and polished. There are plenty of fine grits that aren’t fully integrated but should harmonize in two to three years. Exceptionally long finish. Will hold effortlessly for the next 20 years. 176,000 bottles produced.James Suckling | 98 JS