Annie Favia and Andy Erickson of Favia Wines have been called Napa’s power couple. But really, they’re far too nice for such a moniker.
The pair have as much love for each other as they do the wine they make and the land they work.
Their wines are stylish, elegant, and seductive – and a leading light for Oakville and Coombsville, a newer, cooler region of Napa.
We caught up with the pair over a glass of their excellent Cerro Sur.
SM //: What was your first experience of wine?
AF //: Wine was always one part of the table growing up. My mom’s gardens were so alive and I spent a lot of time with her out there amongst the plants. Like many Italian families who settled in the States, they brought over the importance of craft and making things by hand. My dad made table wine in the basement with grapes that were shipped out on the train from California.
AE //: I grew up in a family that enjoyed wine, but didn’t take it too seriously. My father travelled to Europe quite a bit and would open European wines at the table. My first real ‘aha’ moment was when I spent a summer abroad in Switzerland and France, and lived with a family with a 3,000-bottle cellar, a wonderful outdoor cooking setup, and a love for food, wine, and conversation. I was 19 years old, and my world was opened up for sure.
SM //: What was the first wine you tasted which really caught your attention?
AF //: Cabernet franc from the Loire valley as an exchange student.
AE //: After college I lived in San Francisco, and could really only afford wines from Argentina and Chile, but I did find some nice ones. But then I attended a Burgundy tasting at All Seasons in Calistoga, and I’ll never forget the Domaine Robert Chevillon “Les Cailles” as a wine that made me stop and think ‘What is this?’ I think it was a 1996 vintage, but I’m not completely sure. But it did make me want to take a deeper dive.
SM //: When did you decide ‘I want to make wine!’?
AF //: I decided I wanted to farm for a living, when I was working in the cellar for Cathy Corison. She had purchased a beautiful old head-trained Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard and one bright February day we went out to prune. The vineyard was buzzing with energy and I realised then that the vineyard was my place. I went back to school and got another degree, this time in viticulture.
AE //: After that summer in France, I always had in my mind ‘I want to live like this.’ I had no idea that wine could be a vocation, but the idea of being connected to the land, and enjoying the food and wine that comes from it, was very alluring.
I started to spend more time in Napa and Sonoma in my early twenties, and a lightbulb went off. I decided that I would see if I could make something happen. I travelled to Argentina, worked in a vineyard and winery for almost a year, and then moved to Napa in 1994 to work my first harvest. I was hooked.
SM //: Where and when was the first wine you made – and was it any good?
AF //: 1996 in our basement! And honestly, yes!
AE //: When Annie and I met we did what most young couples do: we started making wine together. Our first vintage was Pinot Noir from Sangiacomo Vineyard in Sonoma. We loved it. In 1998, we made our first Cabernet Franc together.
We were taking turns going back to school for Enology and Viticulture, so were not yet wine professionals, but we shared our wares with friends and even bartered for various goods and services.
SM //: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learnt in your winemaking career?
AF //: That although we humans think we can control nature, we can not. The magic happens when we open up to its energies and work WITH nature.
AF //: For me, the best lesson is that wine is a living thing, and each time you interact with it, it is just a moment in time.
Over the years, being able to taste fruit on the vine, in the fermenter, young wine in barrel, after blending, and after years in the bottle, you start to see a picture of how wine evolves and how you can craft something for the long haul. I love that part of it.
SM //: What’s been one of your best memories from your winemaking career?
AE //: For me, it’s the people that have come into our lives, both in terms of mentors, but also around the table.
Wine brings people together in such a beautiful way. It is a catalyst for great conversations and relationships, it’s a vehicle for giving, and in my opinion a necessary part of the meal.
Sharing wines I’ve made with people brings a lot of joy.
SM //: You proudly abide by organic and biodynamic principles. Is it frustrating to you that more wineries don’t follow suit? And have you seen a significant shift in this regard in recent years?
AF //: Change with people can be slow. I would not say that I am naturally a patient person, but I’ve become much more patient over the years.
Working with nature truly yields unparalleled results and I think it shows. More people have caught on and will continue to.
SM //: Talk us through what else you’re producing on the estate – from olive oil to tea?
AF //: We love to grow different plants! We have an old walnut orchard and a young fruit orchard, an olive orchard for oil, a large vegetable garden, and starting to learn about cut flowers. Perhaps the most fulfilling project though is my loose leaf herbal tea company, ERDA TEA.
SM //: How is the development of the Favia Oakville estate and winery coming along? It sounds like you're going to have a lot more varietals – and therefore blends – to play with?
AE //: We’ve made our first wines from the young vines over the past couple of vintages (2023 and 2024) and it is very promising.
Of course we have a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon planted, but also Cabernet Franc (one of our passions) and even some Malbec, which is very well suited for climate change.
Some of the soils are perfect for Merlot, so we have some of that, and the first wines are amazing – will add as a blender for sure.
And we planted Sauvignon Blanc, because we love white wine, and this variety can express itself in such a meaningful way in Napa Valley.
SM //: Who are your winemaking heroes?
AE //: I was very lucky early in my career to work with John Kongsgaard, who takes a very philosophical view of winemaking and wine in general. It is very grounding.
I have also been lucky to work over the years with Michel Rolland, who is gifted at assembling a blend from whatever building blocks are in front of him. He taught me to trust my palate and to think long term in my winemaking approach. And David Abreu, who is incredibly exacting in the vineyard.
SM //: If you could only drink one grape for the rest of your life, what would you choose and
why?
AF //: Nebbiolo from Barbaresco and Barolo.
AE //: I hope this does not happen, but today I would say red Burgundy. But tomorrow I might have another answer.
SM //: What’s your death-row bottle from your own line-up?
AE //: I prefer the term ‘desert island wine’, because I’d rather picture myself on a desert island than on death row. But I’m thinking 2011 Cerro Sur, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It was an atypical vintage for California – cold, wet, late – a very difficult vintage to work, but the result is a very compelling wine that reminds me of some of my favourite wines from the Right Bank.
SM //: And from another winemaker?
AE //: I’ll drink Chateau Ausone any time someone wants to present me with a bottle.
See more at faviawines.com
