Description
Bodegas Faustino, Rioja V Reserva
In 2021, the legendary Bodegas Faustino celebrated its 160th anniversary. Located in the Rioja Alavesa subzone, in the town of Oyón, the estate has been run by successive generations of the same family and has grown into one of Rioja’s largest bodegas. Reserva and Gran Reserva bottlings are their specialty, and their vast cellars contain more than 47,000 barrels of wine in various stages of maturation. Not surprisingly, Faustino is also one of the largest landowners in the Rioja appellation, farming some 650 hectares of vineyards in all the Rioja subzones.
As savvy collectors are aware, well-aged bottlings from grand bodegas such as Faustino represent some of the greatest values in wine: For one thing, their provenance—coming directly from the winery’s cellars—is impeccable, so even a wine from the late-’80s, like this Reserva, tastes remarkably fresh.
Aged for a minimum of 18 months in American oak, then further in bottle, before release, the “Faustino V” is polished and well-concentrated, now starting to show some mature “secondary” aromas of dried black plum, tobacco, leather, cedar, and mushroom stock. A rich, voluptuous, bottle-aged beauty to be paired with a well-charred ribeye steak or some braised beef cheeks.
