Carbone Red Wine Napa Valley 2016 | Amazing Red Blend from Screaming Eagle Alum

Carbone Red Wine Napa Valley 2016 is an inky purple color, with dense viscosity. While deep, pure fruit aromas and flavors redolent of blackberry, black cherry, and blueberry.   In addition tinged with complex notes of eucalyptus, clove, allspice, and violets. Dense but not weighty, full-bodied but graceful, with plush tannins. And a 45-60-second sustained, evolving finish. Great now for its freshness and full body.  But should evolve further complexity through 2036. Most of all, an amazing Red Blend from Screaming Eagle Alum Andy Erickson

Amazing Red Blends

Like the first vintages of their Favia wines, Carbone’s inaugural release wasn’t submitted to critics.  But now, Favia is sending the 2016 release for review. But before your favorite critics weigh in, we’re offering access to this brilliant wine that will bring joy, and sheer pleasure now and for years to come. Notably, our judging panel awarded it 95 points.  Most of all, it is meant for those among you who appreciate that a magnificent, truly special wine is at your fingertips.

Favia Wine | Andy Erickson & Annie Favia

This Carbone Red Wine Napa Valley 2016 hails from one of Napa’s greatest power couples—Andy Erickson and Annie Favia.   While Annie’s viticultural work began with David Abreu, shepherding Napa’s Grand Cru vineyards for Harlan, Screaming Eagle, Ovid, Sloan, Bryant, Colgin, and Staglin.  Rather, Andy’s first winemaking job was with John Kongsgaard at Newton, and then Bob Levy of Harlan scooped him up to make BOND. Later, he became the winemaker at Ovid, Arietta, Screaming Eagle, and Dalla Valle.

During our visit, we made our way to a small sitting area under an oak tree. Andy pulled a cork on the Carbone Red Wine Napa Valley 2016. Also sustainably farming under Annie’s meticulous guidance, the grapes for the Favia and Carbone wines. “I want to know that everything I do is having a positive long-term reaction,” she said.  While Andy and Annie share a love for Cabernet Franc, which makes up the core of the 2016 Carbone, supported by Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. So it’s a seductive and opulent blend that builds what Andy looks for in a wine:  texture, polish, and structure. Also, in the glass, it is superb, with dark fruits, spice, savory herbs, and a gloriously long finish.

Winemaker Andy Erickson

While a list of the perfect 100-point and near-perfect critical scores that Winemaker Andy Erickson has received in his career would take up an entire page. But during the first several years, no Favia wines were submitted for review. Instead, Andy and Annie offered them exclusively to their mailing list and a handful of select restaurants. Annie credits Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry as being one of their strongest early supporters.