Dark ruby to the eye, this wine offers a bouquet of Mission fig and chocolate-covered caramel. Made with Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo) from vines with more than 100 years of age, its lush tannins and a sense of earthiness are the first things one notices. Flavors of dark chocolate, cassis, cherry cola and black truffle are infused with a touch of acidity that livens the palate. It's beautiful right now, but this is one to lay down and visit in a few more years. (MD)

The 2016 Termanthia, sourced from XIX-century vineyard plots, spent 22 months in new French oak barrels, 90% of which were new. This deep garnet red offers enticing dried flower, blackberry, balsamic, wild herb and grapefruit aromas, complemented by a cedar backdrop. Dry and rich, the palate reveals a light corset-like tannin structure that provides balance and complexity. This is a nuanced Toro wine with a long-lasting finish. (JH)

94+ points. The 2016 Termanthia comes from a rainier year that resulted in a later harvest of ripe grapes that delivered a powerful wine with 15% alcohol and soft acidity. It fermented in oak and stainless steel vats with selected yeasts and matured in French oak barrels, 80% of them new, for 22 months. This shows the change in style, and it has better freshness and more acidity than the 2015 I tasted next to it: the vintage was different, and the work in the winery also changed in the direction to have less extraction and less oak, showing more transparently the power of the old ungrafted vines. (LG)