By Simon Roberts
Friday was a relaxed one here at Graileys, not hectic all. But I did have two very good wines courtesy of our friend and member, Ivan Thornton. He stopped by bearing some gems from his portfolio. First tasted was Andy Erickson’s 2009 Favia Cerro Sur. The wine sported a beautiful nose of camphor, black fruits, and cocoa. There is no hard edges on this wine; just this gorgeous mouth feel. It builds in the mouth with flavors of clove, cedar, cocoa, and black currants intermingling with subtle oak flavors that leave a very satisfying finish. I could only pry five cases away from Ivan. It is $159 per bottle and worth every cent! We have tasted with Andy here on numerous occasions; earlier this year, we did the first ever vertical tasting of Favia’s Cerro Sur and La Magdalena wines. That tasting proved to be a great testament to his genius as his wines showed how they could age beautifully. Andy and his wife Annie are making some of the best reds Napa Valley has to offer today. These are not your typical big blockbuster wines, rather, Andy has fashioned a very stylish wines that hits on many levels.
Opening the next bottle to taste was totally a selfish act! After all, I personally get six bottles each year of his tiny production Favia Cabernet Sauvignon. It is truly Napa’s best kept secret. It is pure magic in a bottle and a wine that is getting me back into California Cabernets. The 2009 Favia Cabernet Sauvignon is fabulously lush and smooth textured with tons of ripe fruit perfectly balanced by great acidity. If you can find some get some.