Loads of lead-pencil aromas, together with blackcurrant and oyster-shell notes that follow through to a medium to full body with a solid core of fruit and a long finish. It’s tight, with a compact mouth-feel. Give it two or three years. Better after 2025.

The single-varietal 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville is deep garnet-purple in color. It rockets from the glass with vibrant notes of crushed blackcurrants, kirsch, and wild blueberries giving way to hints of crushed rocks, bay leaves, and graphite. The full-bodied palate is rich and seductive, with loads of bright mineral and red berry sparks and a firm, grainy texture, finishing long and layered. This is nicely done!

Ripe and plush, with a broad wave of mulberry, loganberry and plum reduction notes, layered with melted licorice and blackberry ganache and backed by hints of hibiscus and violet. Shows solid structure underneath, with a cast iron feel providing nice contrast to the fleshy fruit. Drink now through 2038. 235 cases made.

Looking at the 2020s, these are all solid, enjoyable wines. The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville has plenty of cassis and darker, almost black fruits as well as tobacco and spice. Nicely textured, medium to full-bodied, and balanced, it has solid tannins (which can be problematic in the vintage) and a great finish. Drink bottles over the coming 10-15 years.

Wonderful aromas of blue fruit, black olives and violets. Lead pencil throughout. Crushed stones, too. Hints of mint and seaweed. Full-bodied with tannins that spread across the palate. It starts off with a bang, with tannins that take you deep into the wine. It’s endless on the finish. It goes on for minutes. Velvet and polished texture. Better after 2026.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville is a blend mostly from Meteor. A stunning wine, the 2019 possesses off the charts richness and tremendous depth that just builds with time in the glass. Inky dark fruit, plum, spice, licorice, menthol and crushed berries saturate the palate. The 2019 is one of the very finest wines I have ever tasted from Andy Erickson and Annie Favia. Don’t miss it.

The 2019 Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon from Favia is an absolute knockout. It’s a majestic, towering wine, that bursts open with aromas of ripe blueberries and black cherries woven together with mocha, loam, violets, licorice and sweet exotic spices that explode from the glass. It’s full-bodied, rich, layered and remarkably structured with big, polished tannins that generously coat the palate. It goes on to display remarkable depth and concentration with a dense core that is loaded with ripe dark fruits that resonate through the ultra-long finish. This is a big-time wine from Andy Erickson that is extremely alluring now but will require some time to settle down. Nonetheless a true beauty out of Coombsville.

A new addition to the Place de Bordeaux this year - the eponymous project of husband and wife duo; viticulturist Annie Favia and winemaker Andy Erickson. This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Coombsville reflecting the gravelly, volcanic terroir and proximity to San Pablo Bay with a minimal interventionist practise. Powerful and expressive nose, extremely aromatic, but feels direct and quite detailed. Juicy and alive, you feel the life pulsing through this wine, it's got depth of flavour but the texture is light graceful piercing almost with a sharp crisp tang that is so thrilling. The acidity is there giving life and joy to the blackcurrant and berry fruits and this has such detail and nuance in the savoury earthy edges; smoked meats, liquorice, dark chocolate dusting, iodine-soy saltiness, strawberry tang and long finish. Well structured, with balance and elegance and lovely details throughout. So much character here.

The 2018 Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon from Favia is absolutely magnificent. This stunning 100% Cabernet Sauvignon instantly begins to mesmerize you with its seductive aromatics of ripe dark currants, blueberries and hints of cassis, which are beautifully accented with violets, pencil lead, tobacco, dried herbs, spices and crushed gravel. On the palate this possesses a gorgeous full-bodied texture that is impeccably structured and polished. It continues to impress with its rich core that is layered and concentrated. There is a remarkable sense of freshness and purity, as this delivers gorgeous black and blue fruits that continue to build all the way through the long, supple finish. This is a brilliant wine from Favia that is drinking beautifully today, but will also age gracefully for years to come.

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.

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.

Fresh and driven, with a solid graphite spine carrying blueberry, dark plum and fig paste flavors along. A late flurry of licorice root and violet adds range on the finish. There's sneaky grip, so no rush. Best from 2022 through 2038. 470 cases made.

The 2017 Cerro Sur is utterly fascinating in this vintage. Composed of 69% Cabernet Franc and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon which was sourced from 40-year-old deep rooted vines located high in the mountains east of Coombsville. This instantly begins to impress as it bursts open with gorgeous aromatics of ripe black cherries and blackberries which are joined by tobacco, charcoal, minerals, graphite, licorice and fresh spring flowers. On the palate this possesses a gorgeous medium body that is impeccably structured with velvety, polished tannins that result in a wonderful finessed mouthfeel. This goes on to impress with its outstanding balance of beautifully pure rip fruit and gorgeous acidity, which give the wine incredible freshness and energy. It displays remarkable overall precision and focus leading up to the mouth-watering finish. This is an exceptional wine from Andy Erickson that is absolutely beautiful today but should also have a brilliant future ahead.

This sneaks up on you due to the pure focus, with blueberry, açaí through on a rock-steady beat, flanked by apple wood and licorice lovely floral accent weaves through at the very end. Seriously long. Best from 2022 through 2038.

From the cooler southern end of the valley, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville offers a vibrant, pure style in its blue and black fruits, sappy herbs, sagebrush, lead pencil, and rocky minerality. It’s beautiful on the palate as well, with a tight, vibrant, concentrated style, good acidity, and a focused texture that opens up with time in the glass. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and it will keep for 20-25 years.

Intense graphite adds lots of lead-pencil character to the blackberries and blueberries. Full body and chewy tannins. Sandalwood and cedar come through, together with some dark chocolate, nutmeg and clove. Flavorful finish. Impressive for the vintage. Needs two or three years to come around. Best after 2022.

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville is understated, classy and super-polished. Graphite, black cherry, menthol, licorice and grilled herbs come together in a nuanced, beautifully expressive Cabernet that delivers the goods. A range of dark fruit, graphite, espresso, licorice, graphite, lavender and spice gradually reveal themselves, but the 2017 needs at least a few years in bottle to be at its best.

Made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the very deep purple-black colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville bursts forth with exuberant black cherries, crushed blackcurrants and black raspberries with touches of violets, camphor, damp soil and mossy bark plus a waft of black tea. Full and generous, with a rock-solid construction, it has layer upon layer of black and red fruits and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed. 343 cases produced.

The deep purple-colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville has classic blue fruit as well as plenty of green herbs, sage, tobacco, and graphite aromas and flavors. It’s another structured, vibrant, focused wine that needs bottle age.

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville is fascinating to taste next to the 2015, as it exudes the savoriness and structural profile that are both such signatures of the wines from this southern part of the Napa Valley. Powerful and explosive in the glass, the 2016 offers up an exciting mélange of lavender, plum, chocolate, sage and crushed rocks. Even with all of its size, the 2016 has tons of nuance and detail. I can't wait to taste this from bottle.

Ripe and vivid, with a stream of boysenberry, black currant and plum fruit racing along in lockstep, while anise, sage and singed tobacco notes fill in. The finish is underscored by graphite-edged grip, showing good latent energy. Powerful and pure. Best from 2021 through 2035.

Another thrilling 2015 from winemaker Andy Erickson is the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville, which comes from vines not far from the estate. It has classic cool climate notes of blue fruits, violet, chocolate, and green tobacco. These all flow to a deep, concentrated, yet finesse-driven wine that has fine tannins, terrific mid-palate depth, and a huge finish. It shows the classic Coombsville complexity, purity, and freshness, and will keep for 2-3 decades.

Dark cherry, plum, mocha, licorice, spice and menthol infuse the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville. The radiant personality of the year comes through nicely in this sumptuous, accessible Cabernet Sauvignon. I expect the 2015 will offer its best drinking sooner rather than later. Today, it is forward, inviting and supremely delicious.

Deep purple-black in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville is scented of blackcurrants, black cherries and mulberries with touches of bay leaves, tilled soil and tree bark plus a hint of truffles. Medium to full-bodied and perfumed in the mouth, the black berry and fragrant earth layers are framed by grainy tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long.

Favia's 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville is just as compelling from bottle as it was from barrel. Powerful and intensely savory in the glass, the 2014 exudes power, with plenty of a good bit of supporting Coombsville structure. Dark red cherry, plum, iron, smoke and crushed rocks build into the intense, super-expressive finish. What a gorgeous wine this is.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville is rich and dense to the point that the tannins are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. This is a surprisingly dense wine for the vintage. Hints of iron and smoke add some complexity, but the 2014 is hard to fully read today.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from the southeastern Napa AVA of Coombsville has a similar saturated ruby/purple color. It’s slightly more chunky with muscular blackberry and blueberry fruit, full body and a very structured, reserved, backward personality. This is a beauty, slightly bigger and more tannic than the other Favia offerings. Drink it over the next 25 years.

A towering, statuesque wine, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville shows just how profound this Napa Valley vintage is shaping up to be. Graphite, smoke, sage, and rosemary are some of the many notes that lift from the glass as this dark, dense wine shows off its considerable pedigree. Broad swaths of tannin lie in the background, giving the wine much of its energy and virile, imposing personality.