2020 Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Favia normally produces four wines each vintage but they were only able to bottle the Coombsville in 2020 because of the devastating summer fires. Fortunately, it is a fabulous wine with a lovely savoury spicy note from the high-quality oak. Underneath this there is wonderfully pure dark berry fruit. The refined tannin framework is stunning, building energy and textural depth as the brilliant, vibrant black fruit notes dance on the palate. This is a dense, serious and beautifully balanced Cabernet Sauvignon.
Critic scores
Average Score
Tom Parker MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 20 months in French oak barrels (40% new). Bottled without fining or filtration. A stylish but well-proportioned wine, this mingles the solar nature of dark-berry fruit with a fresher herbal tone and bitter dark chocolate. Chalky and richly structured but equally finely balanced, there is an energy to this wine despite its ripeness. Long, approachable and deep, this is an encouraging 2020. (TP)
Intense and concentrated, showcasing the nuanced results of the Erikson's exceptionally intuitive approach to viticulture and winemaking. Layers of velvet tannins capturing the plump cassis and blueberry fruit and setting it against deep slabs of tapenade, graphite, crayon, cloves, tea and black chocolate. Hard to argue with, compelling and just rather delicious - a clear sign that cooler-climate Coombsville is a place to look for in the intense 2020 vintage. 50% new oak. Natural yeasts, low intervention, no filtering or fining.
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville reveals a bit more sage and redder fruit than the 2018 or 2019, backed by cassis notes. No, it's not as dense or concentrated as the previous two vintages, but it's still a solid effort that doesn't appear—at least to this taster—to show any smoke taint. It's medium to full-bodied, silky and fine, with some tea-like notes on the lingering finish.
About the producer
Favia is the personal project of cult winemaker Andy Erickson and leading viticulturalist and winemaker Annie Favia. Working in Coombsville and Oakville, they craft single-site, elegant expressions of top Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc that are some of the valley’s highest-rated.