By: AJ McClellan
Andy Erickson is one of my favorite winemakers out of Napa, every wine he touches he leaves a distinctive note of quality. Wednesday we had the privilege of being the first people to taste a vertical of his La Magdalena from 2001 to 2008 (except for the 2004 vintage which was not bottled due to extreme heat.) The wines were excellent and it was very interesting to taste the wine all at one time like this. Andy admitted this was his first time to taste all the wines at once like this as well. After we went through the vertical Andy and I agreed that the 01 was showing the best out of the bunch with great earthy notes and a tannic core that leads me to believe that it has another decade of life left in it.
2011 Favia Sauvignon Blanc – The Sauvignon Blanc was just bottled out of barrel just for this tasting. For a wine with little to no time to settle, the Sauvignon Blanc was outstanding. Fresh lemon and lime on the nose with hints of white flowers and grapefruit. The palate was still settling but you can tell it has all the components for a great bottle of wine.
2001 Favia La Magdalena – This was my wine of the tasting. The 01 was superb with a very Bordeaux-esk nose and palate. The wine started with an herbal note backed by roasted plums and dried rose petals. There was a subtle note of tilled earth that I thought was very pleasant on the finish of the wine.
2002 Favia La Magdalena – Another great bottle of wine. Very similar to the 01 with great earth tones and a collection of clove, cedar, and thyme that lead into a great fruit note of black berries. Long finish and great balance complete this wine.
2003 Favia La Magdalena – This was a great surprise for me. I have had little luck with 03 Cali Cabs but this bottle was very nice. The tannins were supple with well balanced fruit and spice notes. I don’t think this wine has as much life left in it as the 01 and 02 but it is still a great bottle of wine….
2005 Favia La Magdalena – No surprise here, another great bottle of wine. I thought the 05 was showing very well with notes of dark cherries, blackberries, and red currants. The palate had a soft supple note with a wonderful finish and excellent balance.
2006 Favia La Magdalena – Black berries and sandal wood on the nose with a note of black tea and clove. The palate was very soft for a younger wine with a fruit forward expression of bright fruits and a finish that reminded me of walking through a spice market.
2007 Favia La Magdalena – The 07 has closed down just a hair since the last time I tried the wine. That being said, I think that the 07 shows the most potential out of the entire lineup. Dark cherries on the nose with raspberry and black currants followed by dark bakers chocolate and tobacco smoke. The palate was just as complex with a seamless balance that is the telltale sign of a great wine to come…
2008 Favia La Magdalena – Like many 08’s that I have tasted recently this bottle was ready for the drinking. The tannins were still hard but they fit very well into the wine and gave off no hard edges. Dark fruit and tobacco was the theme of this wine as well with a hint of cedar and cooking spice.
2010 Favia Sweet Suize” Viognier – A very interesting bottle of wine. The climate was perfect in 2010 for Viognier and this wine was intended to be a wonderful dry white wine. For some reason the fermentation processes did not finish on the wine, Andy considered putting it through a secondary fermentation to eat up the rest of the RS but after trying the wine it was so good he decided to bottle it as is. The wine was all lemon cake with Granny Smith apples with a sweet finish of Lemonhead candy.