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[wineanddinosaur]

Coombsville's Winemaking Power Couple (Wine Spectator)

Senior editor James Molesworth is Wine Spectator's lead taster for California Cabernet Sauvignon. He recently returned to Napa Valley for more visits with top wineries. And don't miss our Q&A with James on his Napa Cab eureka moments, his scoring philosophy, and what he's up to when he's not tasting wine.

AndyErickson has some street cred. As the consulting winemaker for Dalla Valle andMayacamas, he has his hand on two of Napa Valley's benchmark estates. Heconsults for a handful of other wineries as well, all while working on his ownFavia label with his wife, viticulturist Annie Favia.

In 2005,Andy got a call from Barry Schuler, the former AOL chairman who had built a houseand planted vines on the east side of the valley—20-plus hilltop acres—and called it Meteor Vineyard. Andy and Annie liked what they saw right away.

"We lovedthe fruit," Andy says. "But the fact was, therewas no Coombsville at that time. So, while the fruit was different from thebeginning, our mindset was still on Napa blends at the time, not a specific AVAfirst."

As Andy and Annie worked in the area over the years, they bought a 7-acrevineyard with Sauvignon Blanc vines and worked that. As friends Paul Hobbs, AgustinHuneeusJr. and Tom Farella all developed or started their own Coombsville projects, the couple got to know the area more and more.

"Anniewas working with a Chardonnay vineyard next to Farella's that was going intoPahlmeyer," says Andy, "and that fruit was just amazing, even though we thought it should'vebeen planted to Cabernet."

Convincedof Coombsville's potential, Andy and Annie made their move. In 2014, theybought the remaining piece of the former Carbone family estate, a former mixedcattle, wheat and walnut operation that had been broken up over the years. The6.5-acre parcel, with a historic house dating to 1886 and some 75-year-oldwalnut trees, is located next door to the Faust vineyard. The couple sold the 7-acre vineyard they'd bought a few years earlier to finance the newproperty. They've since renovated the house, including adding a small barrelroom in the basement.

In that cellar, Andy draws some 2018 Meteor Vineyard samples from different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon. The clone 337 sample offers an intensebeam of cassis and raspberry fruit with a racy feel and finish, while the clone 4 sample has a flash of herb, then a blacker fruit profile with a morecompact, gravelly back end. Clone 7 offers crunchier acidity and more energy, with a savory hint. All will be used to make the Coomsbville blend, one of fourCabernet-based wines under the Favia label (there are two each from Oakvilleand Coombsville fruit, with one Cabernet Sauvignon–dominated blend and one Cabernet Franc–dominated blend from each AVA).

A shortvertical of the 2013 through '16 Cabernet Sauvignons from Coombsville shows boththe AVA's character as well as the differing vintage profiles. The 2013 FaviaCabernet Sauvignon Coombsville is very, very intense, with waves of currantpreserve and tar and a deep, smoldering feel on the finish. It's a huge wine, but with terrific focus and detail. The 2014 shows the more expressive aromaticprofile this vintage has, with sage and tobacco notes leading off beforeblackberry and cassis notes take over, ending with a charcoal edge. The 2015 istight, encased in itself: A very straight wine in feel, it's dense and ripe,but tightly drawn today, without the expression of the '14 or the energy of the'16. The 2016 is another gorgeous wine, and a rival to the '13, with polishedfruit allied to grippy tar and charcoal notes. It's another big wine that still manages to move athletically.

The Favialabel is on the boutique side of the scale, with just 350 to 500 cases made of each of the four Napa reds, all retailing for $175 (there is an additional1,000 cases spread across three Rhône-style bottlings from Amador County fruit).

But as Andy explains, that small size allows for a level ofdetail that he couldn't adhere to at a greater scale, similar to Farella's approach. "I was working with Bob Levy at Harlan and he told me I could makea lot of very good wine, or I could make a little bit of great wine," Andy says. "I decidedI want to make a little bit of great wine."

Follow James Molesworth on Instagram at @jmolesworth1, and on Twitter at @jmolesworth1.

source https://www.winespectator.com/blogs/show/id/Favia-California-Coombsville-Cabernet-Meteor-Vineyard

[wineanddinosaur]

Coombsville's Winemaking Power Couple (Wine Spectator)

Senior editor James Molesworth is Wine Spectator's lead taster for California Cabernet Sauvignon. He recently returned to Napa Valley for more visits with top wineries. And don't miss our Q&A with James on his Napa Cab eureka moments, his scoring philosophy, and what he's up to when he's not tasting wine.

AndyErickson has some street cred. As the consulting winemaker for Dalla Valle andMayacamas, he has his hand on two of Napa Valley's benchmark estates. Heconsults for a handful of other wineries as well, all while working on his ownFavia label with his wife, viticulturist Annie Favia.

In 2005,Andy got a call from Barry Schuler, the former AOL chairman who had built a houseand planted vines on the east side of the valley—20-plus hilltop acres—and called it Meteor Vineyard. Andy and Annie liked what they saw right away.

"We lovedthe fruit," Andy says. "But the fact was, therewas no Coombsville at that time. So, while the fruit was different from thebeginning, our mindset was still on Napa blends at the time, not a specific AVAfirst."

As Andy and Annie worked in the area over the years, they bought a 7-acrevineyard with Sauvignon Blanc vines and worked that. As friends Paul Hobbs, AgustinHuneeusJr. and Tom Farella all developed or started their own Coombsville projects, the couple got to know the area more and more.

"Anniewas working with a Chardonnay vineyard next to Farella's that was going intoPahlmeyer," says Andy, "and that fruit was just amazing, even though we thought it should'vebeen planted to Cabernet."

Convincedof Coombsville's potential, Andy and Annie made their move. In 2014, theybought the remaining piece of the former Carbone family estate, a former mixedcattle, wheat and walnut operation that had been broken up over the years. The6.5-acre parcel, with a historic house dating to 1886 and some 75-year-oldwalnut trees, is located next door to the Faust vineyard. The couple sold the 7-acre vineyard they'd bought a few years earlier to finance the newproperty. They've since renovated the house, including adding a small barrelroom in the basement.

In that cellar, Andy draws some 2018 Meteor Vineyard samples from different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon. The clone 337 sample offers an intensebeam of cassis and raspberry fruit with a racy feel and finish, while the clone 4 sample has a flash of herb, then a blacker fruit profile with a morecompact, gravelly back end. Clone 7 offers crunchier acidity and more energy, with a savory hint. All will be used to make the Coomsbville blend, one of fourCabernet-based wines under the Favia label (there are two each from Oakvilleand Coombsville fruit, with one Cabernet Sauvignon–dominated blend and one Cabernet Franc–dominated blend from each AVA).

A shortvertical of the 2013 through '16 Cabernet Sauvignons from Coombsville shows boththe AVA's character as well as the differing vintage profiles. The 2013 FaviaCabernet Sauvignon Coombsville is very, very intense, with waves of currantpreserve and tar and a deep, smoldering feel on the finish. It's a huge wine, but with terrific focus and detail. The 2014 shows the more expressive aromaticprofile this vintage has, with sage and tobacco notes leading off beforeblackberry and cassis notes take over, ending with a charcoal edge. The 2015 istight, encased in itself: A very straight wine in feel, it's dense and ripe,but tightly drawn today, without the expression of the '14 or the energy of the'16. The 2016 is another gorgeous wine, and a rival to the '13, with polishedfruit allied to grippy tar and charcoal notes. It's another big wine that still manages to move athletically.

The Favialabel is on the boutique side of the scale, with just 350 to 500 cases made of each of the four Napa reds, all retailing for $175 (there is an additional1,000 cases spread across three Rhône-style bottlings from Amador County fruit).

But as Andy explains, that small size allows for a level ofdetail that he couldn't adhere to at a greater scale, similar to Farella's approach. "I was working with Bob Levy at Harlan and he told me I could makea lot of very good wine, or I could make a little bit of great wine," Andy says. "I decidedI want to make a little bit of great wine."

Follow James Molesworth on Instagram at @jmolesworth1, and on Twitter at @jmolesworth1.

source https://www.winespectator.com/blogs/show/id/Favia-California-Coombsville-Cabernet-Meteor-Vineyard