Faustino Gran Reserva Tempranillo 2001

Jennifer Havers rated this wine as 91/100 with the following review:

Tasted in 2020. Still showing lovely fruit and lots of character. Slight browning at the rim but colour is overall still quite deep and concentrated. Aromas of red cherry, vanilla, leather, tobacco smoke, peppery spice and dried herbs. Tannins are firm, fruit is vibrant, and smoky, leathery hints come through on the finish. Enjoy with hard cheese and cured meats.

Sean O'Regan rated this wine as 93/100 with the following review:

Deep garnet with beautiful mature and complex nose including dried red cherry/berry fruit, coconut, leather, spice and balsamic notes. Silky smooth medium body, drued cherry, strawberry, spice, tobacco and leather. Great balance, tannins soft and good acidity carry to a lengthy finish. Drinking so well now why bother to hold any longer. Very nice to sip on its own or with a charcuterie platter.
Tasted January 2016

Jon Steeves rated this wine as 92/100 with the following review:

A wonderful rioja, vintage 2001, tasted 2015.

Ghislain Lalonde rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

JS 89(2), DL 90, MG 93, MBF,

John Szabo, MS

A funky, brettanomyces-ridden wine with it's leathery, earthy, dusty, dried fruit character, along with pot pourri and dried flowers and more - this will appeal to fans of the old school from the old world. Complexity is indeed extraordinary and the range of flavours compelling and not overly aggressive to be sure, but the brett does dry out the palate and pinch the finish somewhat short. A conversation starter of a wine in any case, well worth a look. Tasted April 2014. Value Rating: **
Michael Godel

It amazes me how kept wines from Rioja keep appearing as if they were just bottled yesterday but not this famous Gran Reserva. Syrupy and caramelized, bright and earthy. Mulled plum and clove with citrus accents. Bretty like a barn's floor. Cedar and leather, big oak doors. Real mutton Rioja, still tannic, energetic and searing. Kicking it old school but wild and alive. From my earlier, April 2014 note: "Were a full-term lecture taught on the pros and cons of the Brettanomyces brannigan, this Rioja might be exhibit A. Absolutely manifest fruit meets earth, meets game perfume compendium. Call it funky yeast if you must but here is a wine that can be approached by nose only and if the relationship were to end there, novels might be written. Lives on a fermented, catalytic and plucky edge but never submits to the bacterial spindrift. Leaden fruit, red and black, smooth and layered with a tension in tang that is paralyzing to the mouth. Thirteen years old and just hitting a secondary stride, with the oak slowly dissolving and not a hint of coffee or chocolate to be found. Sexy and down to earth at the same time." Last tasted November 2014

Jane Staples rated this wine as 94/100 with the following review:

A sensuous rich Rioja Tinto with ripe red cherries, vanilla, leather, cloves and slight tobacco on the nose and repeated on the well-integrated palate. Very silky tannins, satiny harmonious mouthfeel with balanced acidity making it very versatile with variety of foods. Long silky finish. I could drink this every day and never tire of it.

rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

This Rioja (tempranillo) is an elegant Old World wine with aromas of dried fruit, leather, and a hint of licorice and dark chocolate on the palate. This would pair well with a Spanish-inspired charcuterie plate of jamón serrano, manchego cheese and marcona almonds.