Gran Reserva Faustino I Rioja Tempranillo Blend

Dark, near black garnet red. Abundant nose and medium full palate of black cherry, overripe blueberry, and pipe tobacco. Medium acidity. Medium minus(!) tannins. A Grand Reserva should be a bit more structured than this, but it's still a substantial drink that works well with full beef dishes or hard cheeses (Manchego is, of course, a natural). Drink now through 2026.

A gift from my old man for my thirtieth birthday this year. My last experience with this wine was the 2001, enjoyed around ten years ago. I described then how the wine lived up to its popular reputation. Happy to reaffirm that feeling with this 1994, that is an absolutely gorgeous, captivating wine that ticks every box one may have for older Rioja. It marries sweet with sour in that way that the best wines from this region do, a medley of ripe blueberries with sour cherry; bitter orange, coconut, balsamic, tobacco and cranberry. The finish is long, with flecks of sweetness that beg you for another sip. I would imagine that Faustino produce in excess of a million bottles of this stuff, given the size of their holdings, which only impresses me even more that it turns out so well.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Strong nose with blue and red fruits.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate and easy drinking.

Showing raspberries, blueberries, black plums, cooked cherries, spices, light oak, licorice, tobacco, herbs, light earth, dried tomatoes, chocolates and black pepper.

Medium plus in finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This Gran Reserva from Rioja is always a good choice. Showing nice complexity with a smooth mouthfeel.

Rich and elegant with good balance.

Drinks very young right now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Needs an hour to open up, but good right out of the bottle too.

I've had many different vintages of this wine, and it always delivers. My favorite so far was the 2004.

14% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$30.

Surprisingly fresh with a really pretty mulberry and black cherry nose. A blackcurrant confit center with hints of oak and a bit of musk. Stop a bit of hidden power but clear and precise. Very good

Popped and poured, enjoyed over two hours. The 2006 “Faustino I” Gran Reserva pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and no obvious signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of dark, cherry, dried leather, cigar paper, organic earth, pencil eraser, mocha, and a hint of warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The body is silky and lean. The finish is tart and long. Tasty now but should drink very well over the next decade. Definitely a more traditionally made Rioja and I’m here for it. Bottle No. 1629/247680.

Consistently good wine, regardless of the vintage. Sure, some years you get better value (11 year old wine available this year vs 14 year old wine last), but it’s still $32, even after all these years.

Complex. Leather. Tobacco. Oak. Some dark fruit.

Give this some time to open up and *chefs kiss*

2004... good year for the Greeks. The Spanish? not as fortunate.

But this. Well aged. Well balanced.

Tobacco. Leather.

#AgedWineTuesday

A beautiful color of ruby with a wide brick rim.

Light and gentle nose of blueberries, black cherries, black currants, light oak, Indian spices, cinnamon, light licorice, coffee, light vinaigrette, curry and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, strawberries, red currants, light cedar, vegetables, coffee, tobacco leaf, herbs, black tea, peppercorn, vinaigrette and earth.

Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 14 year old is drinking very nicely now, although not from the best vintage.

Needs 2 hours to open up properly and show the beautiful nose, but pretty good right out of the bottle too.

This Gran Reserva is always enjoyable. A nice wine to have by itself or with food, and especially great with fatty cheeses.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$28.

Amazing aromas of candied berry crumble, undergrowth, vanilla, dried plum, and a hint of leather. On the tongue its full or flavours with balanced dark berries, tobacco and cassis dominating. The unique austere and grippy texture signifies a cold vintage year. 9.0 /4.1

Aging: typical of a gran rioja, this spends 26m in oak barrels. 3 years in bottle. Drinking 12 years post vintage in 2020. Drink now through 2024. Decant for 1 hr before drinking (taste in segments of 30 min to judge how its opening up)

Nose has dried cherries, sweet spice, fine leather, earth, and cinnamon. Black cherries, leather, some sweet spice that carry along well-integrated tannins. Quite Burgundian in its feel. Really a pleasure with Spanish lamb stew.