VII Tinto
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Assorted Spanish tapas, grilled pork or chicken dishes, and medium-cured cheeses such as Manchego.
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the historic Bodegas Faustino in Rioja Alavesa, a winery founded in 1861 and famous for its iconic labels featuring classic portraits, Faustino VII Tinto serves as a vibrant, youthful introduction to the estate's legendary winemaking heritage. This red blend is dominated by Tempranillo, the signature grape of the region, and undergoes a brief maturation of around six months in American oak barrels. This light touch of oak imparts subtle hints of vanilla and sweet spice while allowing the bright, energetic red fruit characteristics of cherry and raspberry to remain at the forefront. It beautifully captures the fresher, fruit-forward side of Rioja's unique terroir, where Atlantic and Mediterranean climatic influences meet.
🍾 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