Campillo 1989 Gran Reserva

Wine: Campillo 1989 Gran Reserva
Winery: Bodegas Campillo - Grupo Faustino (Laguardia, Álava)
Appellation / Zone: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 90% Tempranillo, 10% Viura
ABV: 13% vol.

Winemaking:
Sourced from old Tempranillo vines over 100 years old. Manual harvest with cluster selection in the vineyard and a second selection on a sorting table at the winery. Fermentation in large vats followed by 6 to 12 months in contact with its lees. The wine matured for 24 months in 225-liter French and American oak barrels, subjected to various manual rackings each year until bottling. Limited production of 78,676 bottles. Aged for a minimum of 60 months in the winery’s bottle racks before release.

 

Tasting Notes

 

Appearance: Reddish-ruby color with medium depth; clear, limpid, and absolutely sediment-free. Brilliant and radiant with amber and garnet reflections. Broad, tile-colored rim.

 

Nose: A Campillo in good shape; sober and of medium intensity. It possesses a good dose of creamy oak adding notes of old leather, vegetable fibers, and wicker, over a high-quality background of scented and reduced red fruit. Distant from the more traditional Rioja style and nothing like the Faustino Gran Reserva. It evolves well with aeration, becoming increasingly attractive, losing weight and gaining lightness. It eventually reveals fine hints of sage, ivy, and mortar-crushed black pepper. Appealing!

 

Palate: Light and smooth, very polished by the years. The tannins are so burnished they are barely perceptible. The ensemble seems more evolved and lighter than the 1978 Campillo, though they share the same balance and order. The winery's signature style is evident (as it was in the 1982 GR). With a bit more depth, these would be wines to truly reckon with. Perhaps they are too homogeneous. It appears to be at its ideal drinking window. Why wait any longer?

 

Commentary:
A well-crafted wine that shows the modernizing hand of the Faustino group in Laguardia. While it lacks the "punch" of some traditional classics, its balance and polish make it a very reliable choice for current consumption.

 

Personal Score: 89
Tasting Group Average: 89