The 1998 Numanthia is an explosively rich, super-concentrated wine of riveting intensity. The color is a dense purple, and the wine has soaked up its 18 months in new French oak. It offers a smoky, blackberry and cherry-scented nose of extraordinary purity and precision. Full-bodied, enormously-endowed, and unctuously-textured, this monstrous wine displays tremendous potential. Because of its low acidity, it can be approached now, but it is best aged for another 2-3 years, and drunk over the following two decades. This compelling new offering proves what can be achieved in the appellation of Toro. Bravo!