Joseph Bembry  
Advanced Sommelier
Posts: 9425
 | | 12-28-2002 05:09 PM |
| This wine was made from Tinta de Toro grapes from 70 to 100 year old vines. Made with very low yields of 1 ton/acre, it is aged for 19 months in small Bordelaise barrels of French oak. 3,120 cases were made.
I ordered 3 of these on ojeffso's recommendation and had not recieved the order when I saw this wine on the list at Town for $85. I figured I should get a preview of what was to come. Wine was decanted and tasted from Spigelau Bord stems over the course of the 3 hour dinner.
Wine is a deep dark garnet color with no watery edge. Aromatically vibrant and bursting with blackberries, herbs and spice. Full bodied with a voluptuous mouthfeel, this wine is beautifully crafted. Waves of blackberries, blueberries, cassis, mocha followed by an earthy component. Tannins and acidity are fairly high, but balanced well by the tremendous fruit. Very long finish, at least 30 seconds. Fantastic wine. jb Rating 95 pts. Drink 2004-2012.
This wine is tough to find, but retails for $38-45. At that price point, it is a QPR winner (A) and should be gobbled up, as much as you can afford. I am on the lookout for a few more bottles myself.
jb | | |
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Winetex 
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts: 11043
| | 12-28-2002 07:40 PM |
| From my other post in the TN request section - It is from the Toro region in Spain. The winery is called Dominio de Eguren. Tinta de Toro grapes are also known as Tempranillo.
As JB notes this is excellent. If you drink one now a 2 hour decant would be in order.
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ChangeMe
Grape Fermenter
Posts: 672
| | 12-29-2002 02:50 AM |
| jb,
I just recently bought a case of the '99 Numanthia Termes Toro for $17.99/bottle, most of which I gave away to the folks that work for me as x-mas gifts. Besides the fact that it is an impressive wine, the bottle is very striking. A great gift wine.
I did pop open a bottle and found it to be an outstanding value. Dark inky purple color. Dense, earthy, blueberry/blackberry flavors. Long finish with fine-grained tannins. It went very well with my first crack at cooking paella. I'd rate it 91P.
But I must say that I'm very bummed to see the price for the 2000 Termes going up to $38+. Are you sure it was the Termes or was it the more expensive Toro Bottling? My bottle of '99 Termes says the vines are 30 years old, not 70-100 yrs.
Cheers,
Otis | | | |
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Joseph Bembry
Advanced Sommelier
Posts: 9425
| | 12-29-2002 04:05 AM |
| My mistake. The back of the bottle said "Bottled by Nvmanthia-Termes, SL" but this was in fact the Toro that I had at Town. The bottles in my cellar are also Toro.
jb | | | |
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ChangeMe
Grape Fermenter
Posts: 672
| | 12-29-2002 04:50 AM |
| Cool. Thanks for clarifying! Glad to hear they'll probably still have an under $20 option in their lineup.
Cheers,
Otis | | | |
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Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts: 11043
| | 12-29-2002 03:26 PM |
| | The Termes (also called the "baby Numanthia") is also very good. I bought one, tried it and went back the next day for four more bottles. At under $20 it is good QPR. | | | |
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ojeffso
warren, new jersey
Wine Lover
Posts: 4877
| | 12-31-2002 04:11 AM |
| | as i mentioned in the tasting notes request area, i think this is an outstanding wine that borders on a 96+ rating. if found for under $40, you are getting a great deal. | | | |
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Bradley Molzen
VinoCellar.com Admin
Bayonne, NJ
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5054
| | 12-31-2002 07:47 PM |
| | RawRed just left me a voice mail, saying he saw it for over $60 today. | | | If you drink wine, you get smarter.... | |
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Marc A
Grape Sorter
Posts: 259
| | 01-01-2003 09:39 PM |
| I tried to find this at the wine library....but they were out.
It was great at the tasting I was at on 12/17..... | | | |
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Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts: 11043
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Marc A
Grape Sorter
Posts: 259
| | 01-02-2003 12:12 AM |
| | winetex- thank you for the info. | | | |
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Joseph Bembry
Advanced Sommelier
Posts: 9425
| | 01-02-2003 12:33 AM |
| I just ordered 3 more from Zachy's. I now have 6. I should get more, but it has got to stop somewhere. 
jb | | | |
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Wineaux
New Orleans, LA
Wine Thief
Posts: 2804
| | 01-03-2003 03:37 AM |
| | Thanks for the heavy-lifting everyone, especially Winetex for scanning the Martin Wine Cellar website. I've found in the past that their listing of wines does not keep up with what's actually still in stock, but based on everyone's favorable comments, a little personal recon may be necessary this weekend. I'll be looking for both the Numanthia ($35) and the Termes ($17). Spain is on my list this year for exploring further, and this thread is exactly why I try to keep up with this website. | | | |
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love_cab_chard
Master of Wine
Posts: 12604
| | 01-03-2003 04:18 AM |
| wineaux:
From j_b: $35.99 @ www.zachys.com
I am on it, tomorrow. | | | |
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stemor
Collierville, TN
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5564
| | 01-03-2003 05:04 AM |
| LCC, it is now $45. The 20%-off sale is over.
| | | Cheers, y'all | |
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David Walker
Barrel Sampler
Posts: 2284
| | 01-08-2003 01:04 PM |
| Man - this puppy is up to $55 on Zachy's now!!
The place in Florida has it for $34.99, but they don't ship outside of Florida. | | | |
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Joseph Bembry
Advanced Sommelier
Posts: 9425
| | 01-08-2003 01:30 PM |
| Wow, I just bought 3 from them (arrived yesterday) last week for $35.99. I feel pretty good about that purchase.
jb | | | |
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David Walker
Barrel Sampler
Posts: 2284
| | 01-08-2003 02:44 PM |
| | Yeah, you should. Guess that's what I get for waiting. I'm not paying $55 for this wine. If anyone knows where to get it cheaper, I'd appreciate it. I e-mailed the place in NO and asked them about it since it's not listed on their web site. | | | |
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Wineaux
New Orleans, LA
Wine Thief
Posts: 2804
| | 01-08-2003 07:11 PM |
| mdriver,
I dropped by Martin Wine Cellar on Sunday to inquire about the Numanthia. Their affiliated importer, Wines Unlimited, imports this wine. I was told by a buyer that the number of cases produced of Numanthia in 2000 was down from 1999, that the cases WU recently received were already allocated out to a few retailers and restaurants. The cases that MWC received were already allocated to customers on a waiting list (mostly people whobought it last year), and even those customers did not get all they requested. None of the Numanthia ever made it to the shelves in the 2 MWC stores. | | | |
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David Walker
Barrel Sampler
Posts: 2284
| | 01-08-2003 08:01 PM |
| Well, that's not good news.
Nonetheless, thanks for the information. Maybe I'll pay $55 after all. | | | |
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