Rioja
Artadi Vinas de Gain 2006
Artardi is one of those producers that people get really excited about. I’m always getting questions like: who’s importing Artadi? When will it be in? Is it really that good? These should all really go to the Spanish Acquisition (the importer), but the good news is that you can now buy the joven (Orobio) and Vinas de Gain now, the big guns are coming shortly (and they are not priced for those of us with light wallets!). I think this wine show great value in the current wine market and should be considered top flight Rioja regardless of what it’s big brothers can do.
Ramon Bilbao Viura 2007
One of the things I want to get my head around when I’m in Rioja next month is what is going on with white Rioja.There are a couple of modern versions, like this or Placet from Palacios Remondo, that really rock my boat. Plus the traditional stuff like Lopez de Heredia’s Reservas and Gran Reservas, that are like nothing else on earth. Then there is Remulleri Blanco (It is a tasty blend of Vigonier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Moscatel, Marsanne and Roussane) which is something else altogether. I’m heading to all these places, so I should be able to get a good view of what is going on and where white Rioja is heading. Either that or I just get to drink some nice wines with friendly people.
Faustino I Gran Reserva 1996
I’ve been waiting for a nice lamb dinner to drink this, it works so well with slow cooked lamb. This thing has just about every marketing/packaging trick known to man (or Riojan man anyway); a marble tinted bottle, gold wire, an iconic label with a huge painting of some dude with a hat. The wine is very good, traditional gran reserva with some very good fruit. Make sure you decant this puppy, Gran Reservas need at least 30 minutes of air time to really show their stuff.
Marques de Riscal Reserva 2004
Anthony at Boccaccio Cellars has been raving about this, so I thought I’d better give it a run. The comeback vintage of 2001 was a big hit, and the 2004 is on a similar level. So, I line up the 2004 and 2001, along with the 2004 Roda Reserva after Griff’s call that this is a ‘better’ wine.
From the Cellar: Marques de Riscal Reserva 2001
I’ve had a couple of emails and comments asking how this is traveling, so I cracked one open with the 2004 to see what is happening in the bottle. Very prosmising at the moment, with more to come in a couple of years. If I hadn’t seen these side by side, I would have never noticed the new label on the 04.
Faustino Reserva V 2002
I’ve been clearing out a few notes over the weekend, not as successful as I’d hoped but anyway. The reserva and gran reserva level is where Faustino really delivers, and this shows what they can do even in a poor vintage. Very traditional, but also very good.
Faustino VII 2006
Work is extremely busy at the moment, hence the lack of posts over the last couple of weeks. I have a backlog of notes to get through, so I’ll post a chunk of them this weekend. On a better note, I’ve finally booked some flights to Spain for Feb next year. I’m planning to do a full week in Rioja with a few side trips here and there, plus some R & R in San Sebastian. Can’t wait.
Faustino V Rosado 2007
I think the slightly frosted bottle works best on this rosado, the wine is a brilliant colour and it’s good rose. 100% Tempranillo on skins for 18 hours. The numbers (i.e. Faustino V, VII and I) refer to the quality level as far as I can tell…
Faustino Crianza 2005
Faustino Crianza 2005Along with their traditional wines, Faustino have a range of ‘modern’ wines. The more wines I drink from Rioja, the more and more variations I see on what ‘modern’ means. In this case, it means 100% tempranillo, french and american oak, riper and more fruit forward wine. This is a cracking wine for the price, the updated label goes a long way too.
Faustino V Blanco 2007
Faustino is one of those wines that just about everyone remembers for the packaging. It is quite old school, kind of like wicker baskets on Chianti bottles, but I kind of like it in a strange way. I have 6 different wines from Faustino in the tasting pile, so get used to this bloke’s face.
Recent Comments
- Dave on Senorio de San Vicente 2004
- Ben Richards on Senorio de San Vicente 2004
- Dave Worthington on Wine Blog Awards and Slow updates
- Jeremy Pringle on Wine Blog Awards and Slow updates
- Peter Nixon on Wine Blog Awards and Slow updates
