99pts Jeb Dunnuck

Next up, the 2018 La Magalena comes from the Oakville Ranch Vineyard and in 2018 is a blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Incredible notes of crème de cassis, blueberries, tobacco leaf, violets, and spring flowers all emerge from this beauty, and it hits the palate with flawless balance, full-bodied richness, a great, great mid-palate, and a finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. Probably a candidate for perfection in 5-7 years, this is a magical Bordeaux blend from an incredible terroir as well as a great winemaker. Hide bottles in the cellar for 5-7 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 30 years or more.

97pts Vinous

The 2018 La Magdalena is one of the most polished wines I have ever tasted here. Favia’s Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend pulses with intensity from start to finish. In 2018, La Magdalena appears to be a bit more nuanced than in the past. There is plenty of power, but less of the bombastic intensity that has marked some previous editions. Mocha, espresso and floral notes wrap around a core of dark fruit effortlessly.

95pts Wine Spectator

Ripe and focused, with a vivid core of plum and blackberry puree flavors that show nice depth while juicy bramble, anise and violet notes fill in throughout. There's a solid tug of warm earth through the finish. Lovely. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2036. 470 cases made.

95pts James Suckling

This is really beautiful and linear with very fine tannins that are polished and refined. It’s medium-bodied with wonderful length and drinkability. Subtle fruit and mineral undertones here. So drinkable now, but better in a year or two.

93pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2018 La Magdalena—a 60-40 blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon—reveals less refined aromatics than the stunning 2019, but it also comes across as being more intense, richer and earthier, with dark fruit flavors. Medium to full-bodied, tannic yet ripe and rich, it's velvety in feel, finishing long and plush. Sourced from Oakville Ranch, above Dalla Valle at the eastern side of the AVA, and aged 22 months in 50% new French oak, it's another terrific effort from the husband-wife duo of Andy Erickson and Annie Favia. Best After 2023.

Winemaker's Notes

In a class of her own, La Magdalena is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from the renowned Oakville Ranch, high in the eastern hills of Napa Valley’s most famous appellation. Vintage 2018 has already been recognized as something special. This is certainly reflected in the 2018 La Magdalena, which shows all of the excitement we expect from this vineyard but magnified through the lens of such an outstanding season.

Purity, intensity, and balance are on display, with all the richness and structure that we expect. Black currant, rose, dark chocolate, and licorice are presented on a wave of finely rounded tannin and dense blue and black fruits. This wine will certainly age for decades, but right now, in its youth, with a gentle decanting, it is immediately seductive and satisfying.

About the Wine

A wine that can be traced back to our earliest days making wine together, La Magdalena is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from the renowned Oakville Ranch, high in the eastern hills of Napa Valley’s most famous appellation. Organically farming with intention, harvesting at optimum ripeness, and carefully shepherding the wines through fermentation and maceration, yields a wine with remarkable depth, a silky texture, and eye-opening complexity. The dance of these two varieties together is what excites us most about making wine in the Napa Valley.

About the Winery

Favia was born in 2003 as a collaboration between viticulturalist Annie Favia and winemaker Andy Erickson. The husband-and-wife team had held myriad responsibilities at some of Napa Valley’s most lauded wineries and vineyards before embarking on this still-unfolding narrative, with a simple mission: create soulful wines that express the true nature of the vineyards from which they come.

Favia soon took root in Coombsville, Napa’s youngest AVA, with a family home and winery on a historic property, where the Favia-Ericksons restored the local ecology with native plants and took a holistic and historically sensitive approach to the planting of fruit orchards and a small, dry-farmed vineyard. Together with winemaker Jessica Tarpy, they collaborated on identifying other unique vineyard sites from the Vaca Mountains with soils, climate, and aspects ideal for growing exquisite wine grapes, developing strong relationships with select winegrowers to perfect their viticultural practices. In the winery, the team carefully coaxes grapes into wine with gentle handling and minimal intervention to allow the fruit to speak for itself—producing unparalleled wines, each with its own distinct character.

In early 2023, Favia became stewards of a beautiful 86-acre parcel in the heart of Oakville—one of the last undeveloped great estates in the Napa Valley. The new Favia property offers an opportunity to create something entirely new in the valley, while embodying their long-considered ethos: to be connected with the natural world, respect the ancient methods and places that they now steward, all while sharing the bounty that will come from this land with a wider community. 

Blend: 42% Cabernet Franc, 58% Cabernet Sauvignon