Download Complete Production Notes

In 1861 Eleuterio Martinez Arzok set out on a journey, selling his Rioja wines direct from the barrel, working from the back of a horse-drawn cart. Thus began Bodegas Faustino, today Spain’s largest producer of Reserva and Gran Reserva Rioja wines. In the late 1950s, Eleuterio’s equally adventurous descendant, Faustino Martinez, launched the Faustino label. Source of over 25% of all Reserva and Gran Reserva Riojas sold abroad, Faustino is a proud custodian of the Rioja’s international reputation for world-class wines. A phenomenal nine million bottles of Reserva and Gran Reserva wines are stored in Faustino’s magnificent cellars.

With 1,625 acres of vineyards, Faustino’s Reserva and Gran Reserva wines are all estate grown and bottled. The vineyards are located in the upper portion of the Rioja Alavesa, at an altitude of 1,200-1,800 feet. Here, the climate is relatively cool thanks to the maritime influence of the Atlantic Ocean to the north, and the vines thrive in the area’s chalky soil.

Production Area
From mature vines (planted in the mid-1960s) in Faustino’s estate vineyards in Rioja, Spain.

Grape Varieties
90% Tempranillo; 6% Graciano; 4% Mazuelo

Vinification
Grapes were harvested in late September and early October. They were de-stemmed and underwent temperature-controlled fermentation, then maceration with light pumping over, followed by malolactic fermentation. The wine was initially matured in 2- to 4-year-old American oak barrels for a period of 16 months. It was then transferred to new French oak barrels where it aged for a further 10 months before bottling. The wine was bottled in 2000.

Color
Intense, bright cherry red.

Bouquet
Aromatic and complex, with notes of tobacco, cedar and leather against a background of ripe fruit, jam and spices.

Taste
Powerful yet velvety, with flavors of rich red fruit, licorice and minerals and smooth, ripe tannins.

Alcohol
12.5%