Winemaker Notes
Favia's interpretation of Napa Valley power—profound, dense and aromatic, but always in balance. A wine that promises to be long-lived and reflective of all that makes Napa iconic.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is in almost perfect harmony and balance, showing aromas of blackcurrants, dark chocolate, dried herbs and pencil shavings on the nose. The palate is seamlessly integrated with finely tuned, refined tannins and bright acidity. No hard edges here. Great energy and freshness with underlying tension. Excellent. Drink or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is cut from the same cloth, with a beautiful nose of red and black fruits interwoven with graphite, savory herbs, chocolate, and tobacco nuances. It too is medium to full-bodied, has impressive depth and concentration, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's another beautiful wine from this team that readers will love over the coming 15+ years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Faintly herbal, with some thyme and sage notes coming through the black cherries and cassis, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville ideally needs a bit of time, but it isn't entirely unapproachable. As usual, it's 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville Ranch. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, it's velvety textured and long on the finish.
Rating: 95+ -
Vinous
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville , from Oakville Ranch, is relatively soft and fruity next to the other wines in the range. Succulent dark cherry, plum, spice, cedar and new leather are front and center. Here, too, the balance is impeccable. This should drink well with minimal cellaring.
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Wine Spectator
This delivers a frank, up-front gush of warmed cassis and mulled black cherry fruit that rolls through steadily, laced with hints of ink and black licorice. There’s good energy and a lively licorice snap note on the finish. Still shows the heady aspect of the vintage, but with a bit more stuffing and drive than most.
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.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.