Favia, Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley 2015

Favia, Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley 2015

Favia Winery was founded in 2001 as a partnership between Annie Favia and her husband Andy Erickson. Annie is a passionate viticulturist and a true nature lover whereas Andy is a highly regarded winemaker in Napa who serves as a consultant for prominent wineries including Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Harlan, and Staglin, among others. Located in Coombsville, Napa Valley, their philosophy is straightforward: crafting soulful wines that genuinely reflect the unique character of the vineyards they originate from.

The wines focus on two grape varieties that thrive in the Napa Valley: Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. These chosen vineyard sites represent the most compelling soils and aspects of Coombsville and have a rich story to tell. The team uses keen eyes, sharp ears, organic and mindful farming practices, where the smallest details make the difference. In the winery, gentle handling, minimal intervention, and strict monitoring of the wine make it possible for the beauty of the Napa Valley terroir to show in the wines.

Their pure Cabernet Sauvignon from Coombsville represents the best expression of the historic, however newly ascendant, appellation in the southeast corner of the Napa Valley. Its gravelly, volcanic soils and proximity to San Pablo Bay combine to lend the wines an old-world quality, delivered at an impressive level of concentration and depth.

The 2015 vintage

Weather conditions

2015 was the capstone in a series of California vintages that were defined by drought, record temperatures, and early harvest dates. Mild winter temperatures led to an early budbreak in 2015, leaving the nascent shoots and developing clusters vulnerable to volatile spring weather.

The result was “shatter,” which limits the number of berries in each grape cluster. This, in combination with continued dry weather, made for a small crop of intensely flavored fruit by the time of harvest.

Tasting notes

This is the third vintage when we have offered a stand-alone bottling of a Cabernet Sauvignon from Coombsville. Its gravelly soils and proximity to San Pablo Bay combine to lend the wines an old-world, savory quality, delivered at an impressive level of concentration and depth. The long, careful maceration on the skins adds to the roundness of the tannins, even given their breadth and structure. The 2015 vintage is a dramatic expression, with intense deep ruby color, with fruit aromas and flavors of boysenberry, plum, and blackberry mingling with savory tones of marjoram, black pepper, and fennel pollen. It is expansive on the palate, with plenty of tannin and a lengthy finish of black fruits and salted black licorice.