Coombsville was named for Nathan Coombs, one of Napa’s early settlers. Archives and deeds show that he purchased land from Juarez Cayetano in 1845 and that it was once part of the original Rancho Tulocay. Known for its cooler, marine influenced climates, Coombsville was officially recognized as an American Viticultural Area in 2011 but still remains one of Napa Valley’s least visited regions. It has varied elevations ranging between 100 and 1,900 feet and one of its main attributes is that geologists have determined it was an ancient volcanic caldera; its horseshoe-shaped topography allows it to receive (and trap) cooling breezes and early morning fog from the San Pablo Bay due to the relatively short distance between the two. This allows grapes to hang on the vines a little longer and achieve more developed phenolics. Coombsville has soils composed of rock, gravel, ancient lava flow, volcanic ash and rhyolitic tuff sedimentary rock, all of which contribute to the excellent drainage. Because of these factors, wines from Coombsville are known for their dark fruit flavors and soft, rounded tannins. Here are seven we’re enjoying most right now.
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Favia 2018 Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley California
Favia is a joint project between husband-and-wife team Annie Favia and winemaker Andy Erickson, who began his love of wine in 1994 with a Southern Hemisphere harvest in Mendoza, Argentina. He met Paul Hobbs there, who hired him for the fall harvest at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars the same year. Andy worked at Staglin and Harlan before launching Favia with his wife in 2003. He was then hired in 2006 as winemaker at Screaming Eagle. We both love Andy and Annie’s wines and think their 2018 Coombsville Cabernet is an excellent representation of what the terroir can offer. It is garnet to inky purple in the glass with aromas of graphite and cedar shavings leading the way to fruit-forward aromas of black currant, black plum, and dark chocolate. It has balanced acidity and smooth tannins with flavors of powdered cocoa, black raspberry, and crushed violet petals.
Buy Now: $260
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Farella 2018 Alta Coombsville Napa Valley California
Frank Farella took his family on trip to France and his son Tom got bitten by the wine bug. Upon return to the states Tom applied to University of California at Davis, known for its topnotch wine program, and graduated in 1983. He and his father founded their eponymous winery in 1985 but Tom also worked at Neyers Vineyards and Flora Springs Winery as well as Domaine Jacques Prieur in Burgundy. Farella Alta is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec which are fermented all together. Dark garnet in color this wine has an enticing bouquet of pomegranate, cranberry, sage leaves, and freshly ground white pepper. It has a strong sense of minerality on the palate with flavors of bramble, dried cherry, and black cherry.
Buy Now: $125
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The Vice 2019 Tee Time Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley California
Moroccan born winemaker Malek Amrani and his wife Torie Greenberg founded the Vice “with the belief that the best wine is not the one with the highest price tag—it’s the wine that’s the most meticulously crafted.” They produce wine from 15 different Napa subregions including this enticing wine from Coombsville. It is aged for 24 months is 30 percent new French oak barrels and is bottled unfined and unfiltered. Ruby red in the glass, it offers aromas of cassis, graphite, black plum, and toasted almonds. On entry it offers silky tannins and flavors of black raspberry, red currant, and tobacco leaf. Drink now through 2029.
Buy Now: $88
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Faust 2021 the Pact Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley California
FaFaust proprietor Agustin Huneeus started his wine career in Santiago, Chile where he eventually became the CEO of Concha y Toro and grew the company to one Chile’s largest wineries. He is also known for Quintessa in Napa Valley, and Faust represents his family’s dedication to the Coombsville AVA. The 2021 Pact has aromas of cigar box, graphite, crushed violet petals, and cassis. Silky tannins lead the way to flavors of black olive tapenade, blueberry, red currant, and a touch of fennel frond in the finish.
Buy Now: $115
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Maroon 2019 Special Reserve Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley California
Maroon’s vines are planted in loam and volcanic ash soils and grapes for the 2019 were harvested from nine-year-old and 30-year-old vines. All fruit was picked by hand, destemmed, crushed, and transferred to small tanks and allowed to ferment for 12 days. The wine was aged for 2.5 years in 65 percent new French oak barrels. The 2019 is dark garnet with aromas of black plum, black currant, and a touch of bramble. It is well balanced, showing soft tannins and flavors of candied violet, red plum, blueberry pie with just a hint of lifted mint on the finish.
Buy Now: $174
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Tournesol 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley California
Inspired by the now famous 1976 Judgement of Paris, Bob and Anne Arns began their life’s quest to one day produce world class wines in Napa Valley; in 1998 they acquired their first vineyard and planted 15 acres of Bordeaux varieties. Their 2020 Cab is ruby garnet colored in the glass and offers aromas of cassis, black plum, and a whiff of dark cocoa powder. It is soft on entry with rounded tannins and flavors of black cherry, graphite, and red currant. Drink now through 2034.
Buy Now: $145
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J Moss 2019 Steffensen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley California
James Moss started working in the wine business while living in Dallas. He eventually moved to Napa and began making wine in the 1990s. His first vintage of Merlot was produced in 1998 and he served it at his wedding soon thereafter, and his wife Janet serves as the managing director to this day. Their 2019 Cab is made from grapes grown in the Steffensen Vineyard in Coombsville. It has aromas of dark chocolate, cigar box, black currant, and black cherry. Full bodied with supple tannins, there are flavors of cherry pipe tobacco, brown baking spices, and black plum.
Buy Now: $89
