Winemaker Notes
A regal expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from this very special appellation. Volcanic soils, cooler temperatures, and thoughtful viticulture result in precise textual and aromatic intensity. A true archetype of Coombsville.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Starting with the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville, this 100% Cabernet comes from the southern, cooler end of the valley and was brought up in a mix of new and used French oak. Its dense purple color is followed by a gorgeous perfume of cassis, candied violets, toasted spices, tobacco, and lead pencil-like nuances. These carry to a full-bodied, concentrated 2018 that offers flawless balance, building, ripe, seamless tannins, and a great finish. Very much in the more elegant, streamlined style of the vintage, it will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve for 20-30 years or more.
Rating: 97+ -
James Suckling
Lots of violets, flowers, blackcurrants and lavender on the nose. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and linear on the palate with beautiful length and balance. The tannins integrate beautifully into the wine. Fine-tannined finish. Drink in 2024 and onwards.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville shows just how fabulous wines from this cooler corner of Napa can be. Loaded with dark fruit—blueberries and cassis—it's accented by scents of pencil shavings, faintly herbal notes and perhaps a hint of black olives. This terrific effort is medium to full-bodied and concentrated, silky but dense, long and elegant. It's 100% Cabernet Sauvignon blended from the Meteor, Rabbit Hole and Collinetta vineyards. Best After 2025
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Vinous
We venture all the way to the southern tip of Napa Valley with Favia's 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville. I have tasted the 2018 twice in recent weeks and it has been absolutely stellar on both occasions. It's a wine that continues to grow in pedigree and complexity while remaining very young, which is always a great sign. It's a fabulous example of a modern Cabernet Sauvignon that gracefully marries Napa Valley opulence with Coombsville savoriness.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and driven, with a solid graphite spine carrying blueberry, dark plum and fig paste flavors along. A late flurry of licorice root and violet adds range on the finish. There's sneaky grip, so no rush.
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.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Situated in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley in the Vaca range, the vineyards of the Coombsville AVA enjoy a long growing season mitigated by cool, San Pablo Bay fog.