Winemaker Notes
Blend: 53% Cabernet Franc, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Mostly Cabernet Franc from a higher elevation site in Coombsville (there's 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot), the 2021 Cerro Sur is a stunningly beautiful wine offering ripe red and black fruits supported by plenty of chocolate, ripe tobacco, and crushed stone-like minerality. It's full-bodied and has remarkable concentration, ripe, building tannins, and a layered, majestic style that would give a top vintage of Cheval Blanc a run for its money. Give this incredible red blend 3-4 years in the cellar, and it will have over two decades of prime drinking.
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James Suckling
Black berry, black olive and bark as well as dark fruits. Some mint and crushed stone. Medium to full body, juicy and velvety texture with lovely layering and depth. A brightness and citrus character behind all the earth and fruit notions.
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Vinous
The 2021 Cerro Sur is bright, aromatic and beautifully focused right out of the gate. Cabernet Franc drives the profile in this intensely aromatic, layered red. Crushed flowers, sweet red berry fruit, mocha, rose petals and blood orange lend notable vibrancy. The Cerro Sur is the most restrained of the Favia reds, but it has a ton of pure pedigree.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Favia's 2021 Cerro Sur Red Wine comes from the Rancho Chimiles Vineyard, near Pahlmeyer's Waters Ranch. A blend of 53% Cabernet Franc, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, it seamlessly marries black cherries and vaguely floral notes, plus hints of tobacco on the nose. In the mouth, it's medium to full-bodied, ripe and enveloping, just lovely stuff. The tannins are soft, but the wine is definitely alive, its long finish marked by vibrant acidity.
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Wine Spectator
This is concentrated, with a burly frame of walnut and tobacco around a core of steeped blackberry and black currant fruit. A tarry edge holds the finish in place, while a savory element peeks in amid the fruit. Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2027 through 2038.
Favia Erickson Winegrowers is a collaboration between Annie Favia and Andy Erickson. Their philosophy is simple: create soulful wines that express the true nature of the vineyards from which they come. Annie and Andy focus on finding unique vineyard sites with soils, climate and aspects ideal for growing exquisite wine grapes, and develop strong relationships with their winegrowers to perfect viticultural practices. In the winery, they carefully coax the grapes into wine. Gentle handling, minimal intervention, and strict monitoring of the wine allow our grapes to speak for themselves.
Ultimately, Favia Erickson Winegrowers unites science, art and nature to produce unparalleled wines, each with its own distinct character.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.