Faustino Gran Reserva 1996 wine review by (PB)

I've said it before and I'm saying it again; wine is like no other beverage! When was the last time you had a great reminiscence and tied to the memory was a great 7-Up or Pepsi?

Away on business, I am eating at one of these Brazilian restaurants dedicating celebrating carnivore liberation where they just keep coming to your table trying to force feed you 22 different kinds of MEAT! It's wonderful!

So I wanted a decent wine for the evening with a special colleague and saw this on the menu for a fairly shocking (in a good way) $69. The release price of this wine about a decade ago was $33. Figuring the time factor and the restaurant mark up factor, this was a value wine. It was a solid choice; not great, but definitely solid.

For a wine of this caliber, I was surprised that there was no hint of showing its age. It is still a bright black cherry hue with a bouquet of ripe wild cherry and dusty tannins with some spice and a touch of earthiness. This Tempranillo (the grape) reminded me of a Sangivoese (the foundation of Chianti) but it was Tempranillo all the way.

At 14 years, it is drinking in its prime and will hold for quite a few years to come.

It was a perfect pairing with all the different beef cuts, lamb and chicken served through the evening. The wine was never lost in the food nor the food overcome by the wine. This wine will always mark a memorable night with a good friend, a comrade in arms and the end to a great day. It just doesn't get any better, so raise a glass!