I keep getting offers for this in my inbox; Envoyer, Winex, BestWinesOnline… All report three glowing reviews from Decanter, which declared it their WOTY.
Has anyone tried the '01? I’ve found other vintages nicely made traditional Rioja, but not to that level of commendation. Did they really hit the ball out of the park in this vintage?
Have not tried the 2001 but the Faustinos I have tried have just too much oak.
recently tried this wine…while nicely made and a good price, the WOTY hype is a bit much. It is still young and has some upside.
I think it is distinctly better than some other vintages of the same wine but bear in mind this was first judged specifically as the best in a group of Riojas in a £8-20 category. Furthermore it then came top in an overall Decanter listing, culled from its tasting panels over the year, of a wide variety of wines from many regions because of its very high score in a relatively low-price category with other highly-rated but much more expensive wines relegated in the overall list i.e. value for money was a significant factor in arriving at the final list which placed it top.
this is absolutely a gorgeous wine worth every penny of the $30 I paid–great density and balance with ripe fruit, tastes so young, so clean and delicious. Oak is present but not intrusive, tremendous length and a great future. This will keep me away from unready Burgundies and I don’t mind.
Great wine for the price and the 97 points by decanter is a tad excessive…interestingly, I think they drank the wine blind, so if they had seen the label maybe it gets a much lower score…
In reality though '99 is even better, for me by a couple points
+1
I’ve had 2-3 bottles of it and enjoyed it.
The WOTY bllcks can be ignored, but a nice wine at a good price and that’s a job well done for such a big volume wine.
Alan, thx for the impressions…makes me feel much better for an impulse buy of 6 bottles from Last Bottle yesterday for the same price. Very consistent CT reviews as well.
I agree. Nice wine at a fair price. My example was a tad bretty, but not enough to bother me. WOTY, not quite, but low 90’s is appropriate.
I’d agree this, though with my palate I’d put it as ‘enough to provide pleasing additional complexity’
Ian, yes I’m with you on that one. I really should have worded it that way.
As Nigel points out - look at what those points are based on.
Also remember that Faustino is kind of a benchmark. If they make a good wine, you know it’s a good vintage. And there’s no doubt about the vintage quality of 2001.
Again boys…'99 is superior and for similar value…jmo
I’ve had a number of these and there is a little bit of variation with some showing more brett than others. Overall, a darn good wine especially given the price.
Had this last night and really enjoyed it. Although I wouldn’t say it was a WS 97 pointer it has very rich cherry fruit, oak that’s not overbearing, wonderful florals, changing personality over the three hours my wife and I drank this. This is still young and fresh and I’m sure will go for many more years. I went back to the Costco and picked up a 6 pack @ $34/bottle. No noticeable brett in my bottle.
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I have had a couple of bottles due to the hype. It is a very robust wine. I just can not find any charm in it. It is too oaky and in lack of freshness. There are heaps of better Riojas for the same price. Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva 2005 is so much fresher.
I’ve had a few of these now and imho the oak isn’t as pronounced in comparison to Cáceres, Viejo, Montecillo or other similarly priced Gran Reservas. American Oak is always a bit more noticeable though.
I do get the brett element others have pointed out and also agree with those who say it gets better with air (which is to be somewhat expected from any wine of this age).
And yeah, this isn’t anywhere near a 97 point wine but it’s still quite enjoyable.