2018 Numanthia

The 2018 Numanthia, sourced from old vines in Toro, spent 18 months in French oak (60% new, 1/5 in 400-liter barrels). Garnet in hue. It exudes red fruits, plums and wild herbs on the nose, with cedar, vanilla, dried flowers and furniture wax. Dry and rich, it offers a creamy, overwhelming palate with polished tannins and a silky texture, leading to a plush, flavorful finish. This is a well-balanced and nuanced Toro.

I tasted the 2018 Numanthia next to the 2017, two vintages with similar parameters—15% alcohol and a pH of 3.75—and both fermented in stainless steel with selected yeasts and matured in 225- and 400-liter barrels (60% new) for 18 months. Here, they started the change, using some stems for the vinification and maturing part of the wine in foudre. It's still powerful, concentrated and ripe but with good balance, integrated oak and abundant, fine-grained tannins. 2018 delivered a good crop, the warm summer brought high ripeness too, and they discarded some 17% of the grapes in the sorting table. The work paid off, and the wine is textured and has gentler tannins and a structured and elegant mouthfeel. 86,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2020. This has to be one of the finest vintages of recent years.