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. A beautifully scented nose full of rose and violet touches, the Cabernet Franc nuances leap from the glass - fresh and minty, full of herbal sun-kissed ripe fruit but pristinely delivered. Smooth and driving on the palate, crunchy, crisp flavours give a real bite to the palate - red berries, blackcurrants and raisins, all nicely integrated and balanced. This doesn't feel super worked and polished, instead it gives crystalline iron-minerality, lifted acidity and fragrance throughout - real signatures of the terroir and the minimal interventionist winemaking style - the grapes speak more than the winemaking. I just love the sense of wildness, a smoked touch with blue fruits, Asian spices and slightly angular tannins but with ripe fruit giving the body and cool acidity giving the freshness. A stunning wine and welcome addition to the Place. Ageing in French oak barrels (50% new).

The 2019 Cerro Sur is a magnificent wine from Favia in this vintage. This Cabernet Franc based wine is the most polished and refined of this brilliant lineup, as it combines a gorgeous ripe dark fruit character, along with remarkable finesse and sheer class. It immediately begins to impress with seductive aromatics of ripe black cherries and blackberries, which are woven together with exotic spices, tobacco, espresso, florals, gravel and savory nuances all taking shape in the glass. On the palate this is full-bodied, beautifully structure and impeccably balanced. It all comes to a beautiful end, as it finishes with remarkable precision and poise. The Cerro Sur is an incredibly nuanced, utterly captivating wine that is striking today, however there is no doubt this will go on to evolve gracefully for many years to come.

From a north-facing site at elevation, the 2019 Cerro Sur is a bold, savory wine loaded with energy. This Cabernet Frac-based wine is bursting with tension. Floral, spice and mocha accents lend striking aromatic top notes. I am so impressed with the wine’s elegance and total sense of finesse. This is an especially savory wine with strong cool-climate aromas and flavors that are so captivating.

This mostly cabernet franc shows intriguing character of tar, graphite, ink and black berries, following through to a medium to full body with layered and slightly dusty tannins and a succulent finish. So drinkable now, but will improve with age.

The 2018 'Cerro Sur' is an utterly stunning wine from Favia that is composed of 77% Cabernet Franc and 23% Cabernet Sauvignon. It immediately impresses with its incredibly perfumed aromatics that begin with beautiful ripe black cherries and blackberries, which are woven together with tobacco, pencil lead, violets, sweet exotic spices, charcoal and a wonderful savory character that resonates throughout. On the palate this possesses a gorgeous full-bodied texture with outstanding overall balance and structure. There is an incredible sense of freshness and purity as this delivers layers of juicy dark fruits, tobacco and savory notes. It all comes together harmoniously, as the beautifully polished tannins frame the ultra long finish. The 'Cerro Sur' checks all the boxes and is one of the most captivating wines I've tasted from this spectacular vintage.

More meaty notes of red and black currants, mulled cherries, tobacco, roasted herbs, and chocolate emerge from the 2018 Cerro Sur, and this beauty brings full-bodied richness, plenty of mid-palate depth, and building tannins on the palate. This rich, meaty, expansive, beautifully textured 2018 has plenty of up-front appeal yet should benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and cruise for 15-20 years in cold cellars.

A brooding wine, the 2018 Cerro Sur is decidedly dark and potent in feel. Blackberry jam, grilled herbs, licorice and cloves all add to its inward, virile personality. I imagine the 2018 will be superb in another few years, but I also imagine it will always be a rather somber wine. Time in the glass does wonders, but I would plan on a few years of cellaring.

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.

From a higher elevation north-facing site, the 2017 Cerro Sur is 73% Cabernet Franc and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 50% new French oak. It offers beautiful Cabernet Franc dark, chocolately fruit as well as plenty of tobacco, earth, forest floor, violets, and truffle aromas and flavors. Deep, rich, medium to full-bodied, and balanced, it’s already approachable yet will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age.

This offers up perfumed cassis, warm cherry preserves and smoldering red tea aromas and flavors, set against a backdrop of savory and iron accents. The long finish unfurls slowly, with a smoldering feel. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2021 through 2032.

Lots of ripe yet fresh fruit with red licorice and red currants. Medium to full body. Very fruity. Primary and delicious. Like grape must. Pure. Tight and fine tannins. Drink or hold.

The 2017 Cerro Sur is especially aromatic in this vintage. Cedar, sweet tobacco, mint and dried flowers really speak to Cabernet Franc. Soft and relatively easygoing, but with tons of both nuance and complexity, the 2017 is gorgeous. Just as it was last year, the 2017 is so pretty, but it is also quite refined. In this tasting, it is a wine of real beauty and finesse.

A step up over the 2015, the 2016 Cerro Sur is 78% Cabernet Franc and 22% Cabernet Sauvignon. Another seamless wine from Erickson, it offers awesome Cabernet Franc notes of forest floor, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and earth as well as copious amounts of cassis and darker berry fruits. It’s full-bodied, layered, elegant, and ultra-pure, and has another two decades of longevity.

Powerful, bold and explosive, the 2016 Cerro Sur is a jewel of a wine. Inky dark fruit and a host of savory/mineral notes imbue the 2016 with character and nuance. The 2016 is especially virile, and yet all the elements are wonderfully fused together. This is an extraordinarily beautiful, stunning wine of real pedigree. I loved it. The 2016 is 78% Cabernet Franc and 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the Franc very much front and center.

Really well-built, with layers of fig, boysenberry and blackberry paste flavors, liberally laced with smoldering tobacco notes and backed by a strong wave of loam on the finish. Shows loads of grip, so give this some time. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2021 through 2035.

The 2015 Cerro Sur is gorgeous. Dark, supple and inviting, the 2015 is super expressive today. Cedar, smoke, mocha and savory herbs abound in this powerful, savory Cabernet Franc-based blend from Andy Erickson and Annie Favia. Cerro Sur is a blend of Cabernet Franc from Rancho Chimiles and Cabernet Sauvignon from Meteor, both in Coombsville. The 2015 is naturally quite young at this stage. Give it a few years for the tannins to soften.

Moving to the reds, the 2015 Cerro Sur checks in as 82% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in barrel. It has full-bodied notes of jammy blackberries, tobacco leaf, cassis, and spice as well as some classic Cabernet Franc forest floor and earth all developing with time in the glass. It’s balanced, beautifully textured, and elegant, with terrific depth of fruit.

Focused and tight with fantastic density and focus. Full-bodied and salivating. Firm and focused tannins. Yet, long and linear at the same time. 85% cabernet franc. Give it three to four years to come together.

The 2014 Cerro Sur is a more than worth follow up to the 2013. Dark red and black stone fruit, graphite, espresso, menthol, pencil shavings and crushed rocks are all beautifully delineated. Harmonious and well balanced for such a young wine, the 2014 offers considerable potential. The Cerro Sur is a bit linear today, but it possesses tremendous energy throughout. The blend is 67% Cabernet Franc and 33% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2014 Cerro Sur is gorgeous. Fresh, vibrant and beautifully delineated, the 2014 speaks to energy above all else. Floral notes from the Cabernet Franc give the wine its aromatic intensity and lift, but at the same time, the wine is weightless, precise and lifted. The 2014 could use another few years in bottle. Today, it is brisk and finely cut, not to mention striking in its beauty.

The other proprietary red wine Favia is known for is the 2013 Proprietary Red Cerro Sur. What a gorgeous effort with layers of concentrated black cherry and blackcurrant fruit and blueberries are present in this fullbodied, opulent and voluptuously textured wine. Like its siblings, the impeccable purity and brilliant craftsmanship integrating tannin and acidity, new oak and alcohol into a high fashion wine is obvious in this rich, potentially blockbuster and age worthy wine. This is a sensational effort to drink over the next 25 years.

The 2012 Cerro Sur, a proprietary blend of 62% Cabernet Franc and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, is a real killer, demonstrating how well these two grapes blend together when crafted by two brilliant viticulturists and winemakers, Annie Favia and her husband Andy Erickson. Dense purple to the rim, with a glorious nose of spring flowers, blueberry, raspberry, a hint of camphor and subtle charcoal in the background, the wine is medium to full-bodied, silky textured, with gorgeously integrated tannin and acidity, and a layered mouthfeel that builds incrementally. This is pure genius and a great cuvée, not only showcasing the talents of its makers, but the brilliance of 2012. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. This small, high quality boutique operation is a joint venture between Annie Favia and winemaker and consultant Andy Erickson. By and large, not a lot of these wines are made, usually under 300 cases. The 2010s, which are currently on the market, are brilliant.

The 2010 Cerro Sur emerges from the glass with deep, resonant layers of dark red berries, dried flowers, sage and exotic spices, all in a rich, voluptuous style that is impossible to resist. There is plenty of underlying tension and minerality to balance the fruit in this compelling wine. This is a fabulous showing from Favia. The 2010 is 69% Cabernet Franc and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards in Coombsville. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.

(Two-thirds cabernet franc planted in 1980, and one-third cabernet sauvignon; from Rancho Chimiles vines in Coombsville): Bright red-ruby. Slightly high-toned aromas of raspberry, cherry, licorice, tobacco, cinnamon and nutty oak. A touch of smoky reduction blows off to reveal sweet flavors of red berries, spices and red leaf tobacco. Finishes smoothly tannic and very long, with a sexy leafy quality brought by the franc component.

A muscular mix of dried berry, herb, cedar and tobacco flavors that are firm and concentrated, unfolding to offer riper currant and plum notes, while maintaining its tight structure. Features supple tannins and fine length. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2024.

Favia’s 2009 Cerro Sur shows gorgeous energy and finesse. Dark red berries, flowers, mint and mocha are some of the many nuances that are layered through the mid-palate and into the finish. The 2009 stands out for its vibrancy and lively underlying minerality. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019.

Dense and concentrated, with layers of rich loamy earth, dried berry, blueberry, cedarm, gravel, and graphite. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins, but they’re ripe and well-integrated. Uses less Cabernet Franc and shows more density than the La Magdelena bottling. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best From 2013 through 2023.

The 2008 Cerro Sur is a very pretty wine laced with dark red fruit, mocha, espresso and spices. All of the elements are beautifully balanced through to the rich, generous finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018.

The 2007 Cerro Sur is the winery’s 67% Cabernet Franc and 33% Cabernet Sauvignon blend. This is a beauty – elegant, restrained, and slightly closed, but displaying more intensity than last year, with a beautiful nose of bay leaf, blueberry, spring flowers, graphite, and crushed rock. Medium to full-bodied, pure, dense and impressive, it should drink well for 10-15+ years.

Dark red-ruby. Sexy aromas of black raspberry, tobacco and cedary oak. Round, broad and sweet, with concentrated dark berry flavors enlivened by harmonious acidity. Really saturates the palate on the back end, finishing broad, rich and very long, with suave tannins. The most California typical of these wines.

The riveting 2006 Cerro Sur is composed of 72% Cabernet Franc and 28% Cabernet Sauvignon. Notes of white chocolate, bay leaf, red and black fruits, and dusty, loamy soil comprise the complex aromatics. Exceptionally fragrant as well as deep, broad, and savory with medium to full body, stunning depth and fruit purity, and velvety tannins, this 2006 should drink beautifully for 15+ years.

(72% cabernet franc and 28% cabernet sauvignon) Good deep red-ruby. Black cherry, currant, wild herbs and baking spices on the nose, all lifted by a note of violet. In a rather cool style, with strong minerality giving focus and lift to the complex dark fruit and spice flavors. The lowest in pH of these three wines, and showing the most thrust and definition today. Very suave oak treatment here. Finishes with excellent length and cut. The cabernet franc comes from a steep, rocky, volcanic hillside block of Rancho Chimiles east of Coombsville, while the cabernet sauvignon component is from Meteor Vineyard in Coombsville.

The 2003 Cerro Sur is primarily Cabernet Franc blended with some Cabernet Sauvignon. A dense ruby/purple color is followed by a complex nose of blue and red fruits, graphite, lavender and spring flowers. This highly complex, aromatic, rich, medium to full-bodied 2003 is a showcase for the brilliance of Cabernet Franc grown in Napa. It stands as a beacon to those who are bullish about this grape’s potential. Approachable now, it should continue to drink well for a decade.