Numanthia 2020

Numanthia is the emblematic wine of Bodega Numanthia in the D.O. Toro, named for the ancient city of Numancia and its famous resistance. The fruit comes from Tinta de Toro vines, the local strain of Tempranillo, many close to a hundred years old and ungrafted survivors of the nineteenth century phylloxera epidemic. These old vines grow on poor sandy soils in an extreme continental climate of fierce summer heat and cold nights. The age of the vines means tiny yields of thick skinned, deeply coloured berries, while the wide diurnal range fixes acidity and aromatic depth despite the heat. The wine is aged eighteen months in French oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange and the new wood build a frame of fine tannin, spice and a measure of toast around the dense fruit. The colour is deep, near opaque ruby. The nose shows red and black berries, cocoa, sweet spice and a delicate floral note. The palate is full bodied and structured, with ripe, firm tannin, concentrated fruit and a long, warming finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant an hour ahead. It calls for roast and braised red meat.