Crianza
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 2 to 6 years from the vintage release, when the youthful red fruit flavors are in perfect harmony with the subtle oak influences.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Classic Spanish tapas, grilled lamb chops, and medium-cured cheeses such as Manchego.
✨ Technical Specifications
Bodegas Faustino, founded in 1861 by Eleuterio Martínez Arzok in the Rioja Alavesa town of Oyón, is one of the most recognizable names in Spanish winemaking, famous worldwide for its iconic art-labeled bottles. The Faustino Crianza represents a classic, approachable expression of Rioja's signature style. Crafted predominantly from Tempranillo grapes grown in clay-limestone soils, this wine benefits from a microclimate where Atlantic and Mediterranean influences meet. In accordance with Rioja's strict aging laws, the wine undergoes a minimum of 12 months in American oak barrels. This traditional aging regimen softens the grape's natural tannins and infuses the bright red cherry and forest fruit flavors with warm undertones of vanilla, cocoa, and sweet spices, creating a harmonious and vibrant red wine.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1861 by Eleuterio Martínez Arzok in Oyón, Bodegas Faustino remains an icon of classic Rioja viticulture under the multi-generational stewardship of the Martínez Zabala family. The estate commands approximately 650 hectares across Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta, with core holdings spanning Oyón, Laguardia, and Mendavia. Here, Atlantic-influenced continental conditions and clay-limestone soils provide an ideal canvas for late-ripening Tempranillo, alongside Graciano, Mazuelo, and Viura. Viticulture emphasizes sustainable stewardship, certified under Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection. In the cellars, Faustino champions prolonged elevage in American and French oak followed by extended bottle resting, maintaining an inventory of over 60,000 casks and millions of maturing bottles. While the bodega produces crisp Viura whites, fruit-forward rosados, and method traditional Cava Reserva, it is universally revered for Faustino I Gran Reserva—an archetypal, cellar-worthy benchmark distinguished by tertiary spice, refined leather, polished acidity, and its iconic frosted bottle bearing Rembrandt's portrait.
🍇 Grapes
Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo