Favia Erickson Winegrowers Favia Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 750ml

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville, shows why Coombsville is so magical. Deep and inky, but with striking gorgeous freshness, the Coombsville Cabernet is dazzling. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, sweet spice and licorice infuse the 2018 with fabulous depth as well as complexity. Even with all of its natural exuberance, the 2018 remains light on its feet. The 2018 has really blossomed over the last year, as I thought it would. This is a fabulous showing. (Antonio Galloni)

This is full of aromas of lead pencil, black berries and black currants. Deep and dark. Full to medium body, with juicy and layered tannins and a flavorful finish. Very grapey. Precise and focused. Real Coombsville character. Drinkable and will age beautifully. (James Suckling)

Starting with the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville, this 100% Cabernet comes from the southern, cooler end of the valley and was brought up in a mix of new and used French oak. Its dense purple color is followed by a gorgeous perfume of cassis, candied violets, toasted spices, tobacco, and lead pencil-like nuances. These carry to a full-bodied, concentrated 2018 that offers flawless balance, building, ripe, seamless tannins, and a great finish. Very much in the more elegant, streamlined style of the vintage, it will benefit from 4–5 years of bottle age and evolve for 20–30 years or more.

A gorgeous red, with a deep well of black currant preserves, steeped plum and blackberry reduction moving in lockstep, while warm earth, cast iron, sweet bay and tobacco elements flash throughout. Offers a lovely violet echo on the finish, which shows suave polish while staying grounded in its terroir. Best from 2026 through 2040. 710 cases made. (James Molesworth)

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville is all varietal that, like all these latest 2021s, was brought up in 50% new French oak. It has more blue fruit as well as a full-bodied, incredibly layered style in its full-bodied aromas and flavors of graphite, scorched earth, tobacco, and obvious minerality. It’s a big, concentrated 2021, but it nevertheless holds onto a beautiful sense of freshness and balance, which is what I think sets this vintage apart. As with the La Magdalena, it’s not for the instant gratification crowd, since it probably won’t hit full maturity until a decade after the vintage, but I’d be shocked if it didn’t have 30 years of overall longevity.