The 2008 Valnuevo has a dark profile with aromas of peat, licorice, graphite, Chinese ink and ripe black fruit notes. The full-bodied palate reveals an abundance of dusty tannins and grainy texture, probably borrowed from the wood. It has nice fruit, but the oak treatment seems a little excessive. Wait and see. Drink 2015-2019.

The 2006 Valnuevo is a single vineyard (La Portilla) offering whose vines are over 70 years of age. The wine spent 16 months in new French oak. Opaque purple in color with a brooding bouquet, it, too, will require at least 8-10 years of cellaring. Layered, plush, and succulent but totally undeveloped, it seems to have the balance to eventually become something special. However, patience is required!Bodegas Tardencuba is a 33 acre estate whose Tinta de Toro vines are all fermented with native yeasts and bottled without fining or filtration.Importer: F.L. Navarro, The Artisan Collection, Brooklyn, NY; Tel. (718) 596-0722

The 2005 Tardencuba Valnuevo was aged for 16 months in new French oak. A glass-staining saturated purple, it offers up a classy bouquet of toasty new oak, pencil lead, cinnamon, lavender, and blackberry. This is followed by a full-bodied wine with outstanding density, rich flavors, plenty of spice notes, licorice, and ripe tannin. This balanced, lengthy effort will unfold for another 6-8 years and have a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2030. Both Tardencuba wines were sourced from dry-farmed ungrafted 70- to 100-year-old Tinta de Toto vines and fermented with native yeasts before bottling without fining or filtration.Importer: The Artisan Collection, New York, NY; tel. (212) 608-0072

Bodegas Tardencuba owns 15 hectares of Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo) in the southwest of Zamora. The top wines are made from ungrafted centennial vines from a sandy region in which phylloxera never took hold. This wine was fermented with native yeasts and bottled without fining or filtration. The 2004 Valnuevo spent 16 months in new French oak. Its aromatics include wood smoke, toast, saddle leather, scorched earth, and blackberry. Opulent, spicy, rich, and structured, it will become more complex with 6-8 years of additional cellaring and drink well through 2030.Importer: F.L. Navarro, Quality Wines of Spain, New York, NY; tel. (212) 842-8181