2014 Faustino I Rioja Gran Reserva 750 ml

Faustino was founded in 1861 by the Martinez family and is currently operated by sisters who are sixth-generation descendants. With an eye-popping nine million bottles resting in their cellar—Spain’s largest collection of library Gran Reserva Riojas, dating back to 1955—Faustino wines are famed for their cellar-earned grace. 

We’ve had the pleasure of sampling the cinnamon-dusted 1964 Faustino I Gran Reserva, which is considered the greatest Rioja vintage of the 20th century—the mellow, rose-petal beauty of it was simply stunning. A little more recently (just a decade ago), the 2001 Faustino I was named “Best Wine in the World” by Decanter. This is a wine with some serious history.

Unlike Bordeaux, where the responsibility for aging wines to maturity falls on the consumer, producers of classic Rioja don’t release their bottlings until they deem them ready to drink. The 2014 Faustino fits into that proud tradition, as the winery has not only carefully handled the wine’s storage but removed the burden and temptation that come with having to cellar a wine for decades. They released it just last year. 

Grown in the high-elevation vineyards and chalky limestone-clay soils of Rioja Alavesa, the northernmost of the Rioja subzones, the grapes (86% Tempranillo, 9% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo) benefit from the climate’s wide diurnal temperature swings. The result is a wine that deftly balances the ripeness born of sultry summer days and the bright acidity fixed in place by cold Spanish nights. Before its long slumber in bottle, the wine aged for 24 months in a combination of French and American oak. 

The waiting is over. Now, all that’s left is to enjoy this stellar wine, a new iteration of a true classic.