Grape Varieties
Tempranillo 100%
REGION/COUNTRY
Rioja, Spain
Winery
Bodegas Faustino trace their roots to 1861 when Eleuterio Martinez Arzox bought
a palace and vineyards at Oyon from the Marques de Puerto and founded Bodegas
Victorianas. His descendent Julio Faustino Martinez, son of Don Faustino, took over
the business in 1955 and founded the Rioja brand Faustino in 1960. Today it is one
of the major brands of Rioja sold all over the world and easily the best selling Rioja in
Ireland. The company is still family owned and has expanded to include vineyards and
winemaking facilities in Navarre, La Mancha and Ribera del Duero.
WINEMAKER
Rafael Martinez
Tasting Notes
Appearence: Bright, intense, cherry red.
Nose: Lovely dark berry fruit mingles with toasty oak.
Palate: A rich, fruity wine with vanilla from the oak ageing adding a smoothness to the
flavour.
Food Match
This fruity wine is particularly suited to white and red meats in sauces, sautéed vegetables and even fish in garlic and parsley sauce.
Viticulture
Faustino own 650 ha of top quality vineyards throughout Rioja in the municipalities of
Laguardia, Logroño, Mendavia and Oyón, growing at altitudes of 400-600m. This gives total control over the quality of their vital raw ingredients and allows them to be picked at optimum ripeness by hand and then transported in small baskets, to avoid crushing, to the winery.
Winemaking
Fermentation takes place at a maximum of about 28º C and the skins are left to macerate after fermentation to produce finer tannins with the whole process taking about 20 days. Then the wine is aged in American oak barrels, from West Virginia, for 10 months before being moved to French oak barrels for a further 5 months ageing and then at least another year ageing in bottle prior to release.
Maturation
It is released ready to be enjoyed and in general the wine is at its peak from about 3-7 years after the vintage date but should give pleasure for a few years after that.
Further Information
www.bodegasfaustino.com and www.grupofaustino.es
