Following last month’s rapid sellout of Sierra Cantabria 1976 Crianza, today we bring an even rarer and older Rioja marvel to the table: Faustino’s perfectly aged Gran Reserva from 1964. Now recognized as one of the world’s most iconic Spanish producers, Bodegas Faustino still holds some back-stock of its first-ever Gran Reserva release—a stunningly savory piece of history that just so happened to coincide with the finest growing season of the 1900s.
Seriously: Publications, Riojan growers, and even Faustino themselves considered ’64 to be “a mythical year” and the “vintage of the 20th century.” Fueled by Tempranillo with a supporting cast of Graciano and Mazuelo, today’s wine spent three years in barrel and over five decades in bottle before leaving its dark, cold place of rest in Spain just months ago. Ultimately, this 57-year-old treasure is the literal origin story of “Faustino I Gran Reserva,” among the world’s most famous labels, and your window to acquire one is closing by the second.
To taste a perfectly cellared wine from 1964 is a rare feat in and of itself, but for it to be specifically from Rioja, that’s once-per-lifetime stuff. Sure, it’s hard finding wines with this staggering level of maturity in the first place, let alone those accompanied with “vintage of the century,” but that’s not the only reason these antiques are scarce. According to Master of Wine Sarah Jane Evans, “there were only 26 bodegas producing and aging wine in Rioja” in 1964. In fact, Bodegas Faustino had just come to form in the early 1960s (although previous generations lived here and tended vines dating back to 1861). Soon after, proprietor Julio Faustino Martínez found himself in the midst of the finest vintage in decades, so he decided to debut a Gran Reserva bottling, “Faustino I,” in homage to his father.
Today’s 1964 GR contains 70% Tempranillo with equal parts Graciano and Mazuelo from the estate’s best parcels in Oyón and Laguardia. Following three years of maturation in French and American oak, the wines were bottled and laid to rest for over 53 years without being disturbed.
My past experiences with decades-old “Faustino I” have never disappointed so I had no hesitations buying this tiny parcel “blind,” especially because the winery told us it had never moved from their cellar. When it arrived at our warehouse, the fill level on each bottle was perfect and the cork was in impeccable condition, barely a quarter stained. We opened one up and my goodness, it was flawless. If you’ve enjoyed our old offerings of Remoissenet, the ’76 Cantabria Crianza, or 30+-year-old Bordeaux in the past, this is guaranteed to provide all those savory nuances and more: vintage leather, dried sour plum, potpourri, mushroom stock, dried tobacco, sous bois. Additionally, James Suckling was able to taste this exact bottling nearly three years ago today:
“This has a very mature feel with cedar, furniture polish and leather, as well as dried mushrooms, rosehips and sweet earth. There’s a mellowness to the tannin, very impressive dried cherries and berries and an earthy, long and mellow wood-and-mushroom finish.”
I highly recommend delicately extracting the cork with an ah-so opener, and immediately serving this ’64 in Burgundy stems around 60 degrees. If it smells a bit funky/musty at first, give it a few minutes to open up in the glass (this wine has been caged up for well over half a century!) and swirl it ever-so-gently if needed. Drink within 1-2 hours after opening and stash away any unopened bottles for consumption over the next several years.
