2017 La Magdalena
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Tasting notes
From the Oakville Ranch vineyard just beside Dalla Valle, the 2017 La Magdalena is 67% Cabernet Franc and 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and there are only three barrels due to the fire. It has pretty cassis, crushed violet, dark chocolate, lead pencil, and earthy aromas and flavors as well as full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a wonderful sense of purity, balance, and class. Drink this sensational 2017 over the coming 15-20 years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2017 La Magdalena packs a real punch. Black cherry, menthol, licorice, spice and lavender come together in this rich, ample and beautifully layered wine. Sadly, there are just 49 cases to go around.
The 2017 La Magdalena is powerful and explosive in the glass, with a whole complement of black cherry, mocha, espresso, menthol, lavender and spice notes that develop in the glass. Pliant and beautifully resonant in the glass, the 2017 has a very bright future. Sadly production will be only around 75 cases as opposed to the more typical 400 or so.
A barrel sample, the 2017 La Magdalena has a deep garnet-purple color and leaps from the glass with notes of warm red and black currants with suggestions of lavender, tilled earth, cinnamon stick and black tea with wafts of menthol and dark chocolate. Medium-bodied, firm and grainy with a tightly wound, layered mid-plate, it has nice ripe tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and minerally.
About the producer
Favia is the personal project of cult winemaker Andy Erickson and leading viticulturalist and winemaker Annie Favia. Working in Coombsville and Oakville, they craft single-site, elegant expressions of top Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc that are some of the valley’s highest-rated.