When precise and conscientious viticulture meets brilliant winemaking, the results can be earth-shatteringly profound. Few viticulturists and winemakers in California possess the level of skill required to divine a wine like today’s, but the team of Annie Favia and Andy Erickson certainly does, as the 2015 Favia “Cerro Sur” makes abundantly clear—this is a masterful red blend from Napa Valley’s cooler climes that perfectly balances Old World structure with New World opulence.
Having worked alongside David Abreu, Annie has had a hand in farming vines for the likes of Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Bryant, and Colgin, while her husband Andy, one of the great Cabernet minds of the world, can boast of unparalleled expertise, having made wine at Bond, Screaming Eagle, and Dalla Valle. “Cerro Sur” is their benchmark, combining Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon from two relatively cool-climate sites, and it stands confidently among the biggest-name cult labels of Napa while costing quite a bit less. The Cabernet Sauvignon brings voluptuous crushed blackberry fruit and bay leaf, while the Franc, which is the dominant variety in the blend (82%) imbues this red with smoky tobacco, dried herbs, and a powerful backbone. Just 343 cases were produced, most gone to Favia’s mailing list. But they shared the last little bit with us, and it must not be missed: This is Napa-meets-Bordeaux courtesy of two exceptional talents—it will blow you away.
Coombsville is one of my favorite Napa Valley appellations—tucked up against the foothills of the Vaca Mountains, in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley, this bowl-shaped depression is well outside the mainstream avenues of Highway 29 and Silverado Trail. What makes this appellation special is its proximity to the San Pablo Bay, which mitigates the daily fluctuation of high and low temperatures further inland, creating a more consistent, cooler growing season, where grapes ripen more slowly and are able to retain more natural, higher acidities.
Annie Favia and Andy Erickson are partners in life as well as wine, and they’ve “set up shop” in Coombsville, on a property that dates to 1886, when an Italian familiy—the Carbones—farmed the land. The original home on the estate has been restored and the ground floor cellar, which was fully refurbished, is where the Favia wines are produced. They grow walnuts, fruit trees, and lots of vegetables on their property, with the fruit sources for “Cerro Sur” located nearby: The Rancho Chimiles Vineyard supplies Cabernet Franc from 40-year-old vines, while the Meteor Vineyard—just a few miles up the road and smack in the heart of the volcanic caldera that forms the Coombsville AVA—supplies the Sauvignon.
“Chimiles” is on the backside of the Vaca Range—above 1,000 feet in elevation—and its nearly 60 acres of vineyards are peppered throughout a 1,500-acre cattle ranch, with vines facing north and east. The bright and intense morning sun gives way to shady afternoons. Annie has sourced fruit from this site for over 15 years from the same two acres, which offer up small yields of ultra-concentrated berries. The soils are sandstone and volcanic, but the exposure is what makes the site special. Annie is adamant about is easterly exposures: She likes the cooler, brighter morning sun, and she loves the volcanic soils of the Vacas but seeks out easterly exposures, which are rare.
How does all this translate to the wine? Well, this is a characteristically dense Napa Valley red that spent 22 months aging in French oak barrels, but it possesses a level of tension and earthy savor I’d more readily equate with the Old World than New: In the glass, this 2015 shows a deep, opaque ruby core fading to a magenta rim. Explosive aromas of black fruits mingle with smoky, scorched earth, dried herbs and lofty violet with just a hint of graham cracker crust. It is profoundly dense yet light on its feet, revealing deep, dark black fruit—muddled black cherries, blackberry preserves, and crushed black volcanic rock, while fantastic savory notes emerge on the back-palate: worn leather, pipe tobacco, and cedar spices. The wine has a palate-coating mouthfeel marked by taut, fine-grained tannins. A long-lingering finish reveals pops of blueberry, pulverized cocoa nibs and French vanilla bean. The 2015 vintage produced a more angular wine and I can’t stress enough that it needs time to open up—a good hour in a decanter if serving now. With time, layers and layers of intricate aromas and flavors unfold. If you can wait 10 years, however, it will really hit full stride, with plenty of aging potential beyond that. Whenever you decide to pull the cork, remember that this isn’t a fat, sweet style, but rather a wine with real savory backbone—avoid rich sauces and instead go with leaner wild game, lamb or even duck confit. Polish up your best Bordeaux stems and keep the temperature toward the cooler side of 60-65 degrees, and settle in for one of the great Cabernet experiences of your life. Enjoy!
