2016 Favia Syrah Quarzo
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Tasting notes
I was blown away by the 2016 Syrah Quarzo. While cut from the same mold as the 2015, it offers more purity and freshness in its darker fruits, charred meats, scorched earth, and violet-laced aromas and flavors. Possessing medium to full-bodied richness, no hard edges, and a seamless, elegant texture, it’s the real deal. Drink it over the coming decade as well.
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Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2016 Quarzo has all the texture and breadth readers expect from the Favia wines, but with a bit more savory nuance from the balanced growing season. Black cherry, chocolate, spice, lavender, black pepper and new leather fill out the wine's ample, large-scaled frame effortlessly. The 2016 is a flat-out gorgeous wine from Ann Kraemer's Shake Ridge vineyard in Amador County.
Made of 100% Syrah, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Quarzo Syrah gives up a seriously savoy nose of grilled meats and sautéed herbs with a core of cassis, blackberry pie and blueberry compote with wafts of tar, lavender and star anise. Full, firm and wonderfully perfumed in the mouth, it has a generous core of black fruits and licorice layers, framed by firm, rounded tannins and finishing very long and layered. 237 cases produced.
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.