Winemaker Notes
Clean, bright. Ruby colour developing to maroon. On the nose is complex and elegant, with wide fruity and spicy notes. On the mouth, elegant, with pleasant hints due to the barrel ageing. Long and silky finish.
It matches with any kind of meat and mushrooms rice. Some tasty or oily fish such as tuna or cod. Medium-aged cheese such as emmental or gruyere.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Classic Rioja aromas of vanilla, spice, tobacco and dried berry fruits carry this wine. On the palate, this warm-vintage gran reserva has energy from well-stored acidity, while the flavors include cherry, plum, mocha and a plethora of spices. Chocolate and tobacco flavors along with general warmth crowd the finish. Drink through 2030.
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James Suckling
Fresh and focused with aromas of blackberries, black olives and violets. Medium-to full-bodied. Very fine tannins and polish. Long and beautiful. Shows energy and brightness. Delicious now.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2009 Faustino I Gran Reserva delivers an excellent experience on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with aromas and flavors of bright, red fruit. Enjoy it with grilled lamb kebabs. (Tasted: August 11, 2021, Oakland, CA)
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.