Winemaker Notes
The 2018 vintage is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. The first vintage to say "Cabernet Sauvignon" on the label, it maintains the excitement and complexity of the previous offerings, with the Cabernet Franc striking a chord of richness, depth, and spice. The Cabernet Sauvignon brings a core of black fruits, cassis, structure and power. Overlaid are many layers aromatic and textural complexity—Asian spice, licorice, and dried white flowers. Sourced from our favorite vineyards in both Coombsville and Oakville, aged for sixteen months in French oak barrels, and bottled without fining and filtration, it is a fantastic introduction to Favia's style of wine.
Blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Readers looking for a killer Cabernet that won’t break the bank should check out the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Carbone from Favia. This dense purple-hued beauty boasts classic cassis and blueberry-like fruit intermixed with lots of tobacco, lead pencil shavings, violets, and spring flower nuances. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant Cabernet with a great mid-palate and the class to evolve for 10-15 years. It’s well worth seeking out.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.