Bodega Numanthia, Toro, Spain
Toro, Spain
Bodega Numanthia, which boasts ungrafted vineyards up to 200 years old, was founded in 1998 with the purpose of crafting premium, artisanal wines with soul and genuine authenticity from a patchwork of tiny plots of old Tempranillo bush vines across DO Toro in Castilla y Leon, NW Spain.
At an average altitude of 700m, vineyards here are planted at very low density, just 1,100 vines per ha, enabling the century-old vines to survive without irrigation in this remote area with an extreme continental climate. Yields are amongst the lowest in the world - 1,000-3,000 kilos per ha - and grapes show remarkable fruit concentration and structure.
Estate Director Julio Rodriguez Buren joined Numanthia in December 2023 after seven years in the Napa Valley. With an international outlook thanks to his experience in France, Argentina and the United States, he will continue to support initiatives that further enhance the quality of the wines and promote sustainable practices.
“We are devoted to our terroir in DO Toro; hundreds of ungrafted centenarian vines that demand painstaking human efforts to sustain them. We spent decades researching and studying the best practices for maintaining these vines and continue today with even more dedication. As stewards of such a unique and precious heritage, it is our purpose to craft the finest expressions of these vines.”