Faust house spotlight
Visit Napa Valley films Faust Winery and Faust Haus in St. Helena, the Huneeus Napa home of this Cabernet.
The market on this bottle
Look up this bottle on Wine-Searcher for live market prices.
2022 Faust Cabernet, Napa Valley
David Jelinek's Coombsville-core Napa Cabernet, James Suckling 92, a 2022 you can open at fifty-five dollars.
The 2022 is 86 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc: violet, black cherry, star anise, slate, and chalky tannin after 20 months in French oak, now $55.
Coombsville-core Napa Cabernet, not The Pact and not a leftover blend
Faust builds this Napa Cabernet around Coombsville estate fruit, then folds in cooler-site lots. David Jelinek's 2022 is 86 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc, 20 months in French oak, 25 percent new, 14.5 percent alcohol. James Suckling 92: rose petal, raspberry, red cherry, then black cherry, blueberry, tobacco leaf, and wild sage, bold, ripe, broad and smooth. Jeb Dunnuck 90. Wine Advocate 90: dried herbs, pencil shavings, black cherry, cassis, a steakhouse staple. This is the open-handed Faust Cabernet, not The Pact vineyard wine.
The house
Faust is the Huneeus family's Napa Cabernet project. Faust Haus, a Victorian in St. Helena, is the public face. Coombsville is the farming core.
The wine
86% Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. 20 months French oak, 25% new. 14.5% ABV.
The scores
James Suckling 92. Jeb Dunnuck 90. Wine Advocate 90. Drink now through about 2033.
The drinker
Cherry, sage, and graphite first. Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Ribeye or short ribs.
Violet and black cherry, then anise, slate, and chalk
Jelinek's house note is violets and toasted baking spice, then slate and cedar, concentrated ripe black cherry spiced with star anise, fine chalky tannin, mouthwatering freshness. Suckling found rose petals, raspberries, and red cherries, then deeper black cherries and blueberries, tobacco leaves and wild sage, full-bodied, broad and smooth. Dunnuck found spiced red fruits, flowers, and baking spice on a medium-bodied, supple, front-loaded frame. Wine Advocate found dried herbs, pencil shavings, black cherries, and cassis.
A warm, then very warm, Napa summer after a dry winter. Faust Vineyard is one of the coolest spots in Napa's coolest AVA. The 2022 Napa bottling keeps that freshness on a ripe, ready frame. Drink now through about 2033.
Violet, black cherry, raspberry, blueberry, star anise, dried sage, cedar, slate.
Medium to full, 14.5% ABV, 20 months French oak 25% new, chalky tannin.
Tobacco, wild sage, graphite. Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Cabernet at the core, French oak as mocha not a mask
Faust's Napa Cabernet is 86 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, then Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc for polish, color, and lift. The 2022 spends 20 months in French oak, about 25 percent new. Star anise and slate are the vineyard's mark. The oak is there for velvet, not a drowning. Coombsville is the farming argument.
Coombsville sits cooler than the upper valley in summer. That is why this Napa bottling can be both plush and fresh.
Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Dunnuck says it is upfront and ready. It already drinks.
Huneeus Napa, with a Victorian front door
Faust is the Huneeus family's Napa Cabernet house. Coombsville's cooler influence is the consistent thread. Faust Haus in St. Helena is the landmark.
Agustin Huneeus built a Napa life after Quintessa. Faust is the more open-handed Cabernet: Coombsville core, Napa richness, a freshness that keeps the next sip coming.
The Pact is the vineyard wine. This Napa bottling is the blend. The 2022 is the door you can actually open on a Tuesday.
Jen Beloz and David Jelinek kept Coombsville at the center so star anise and slate stay in front of the oak.
Ribeye, short ribs, and Coombsville tannin
Faust wants browned beef and a slow braise. Ribeye echoes cocoa. Short ribs take the graphite close.
Two plates. One butter-basted ribeye. One red-wine short rib. Both can take Faust tannin and sage.
Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Wide Cabernet bowls. Air is for sage, anise, and cherry.
Butter-Basted Ribeye
A hard crust, butter, and thyme. Coombsville Cabernet's steakhouse landing.
Why it works: Fat and char cushion chalky tannin while browned beef pulls cherry, cocoa, and sage through the glass.
View Recipe for butter-basted ribeye (opens in a new tab)
Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs
A slow braise for graphite, anise, and the 2022's long close.
Why it works: Collagen softens the Cabernet. Reduction echoes sage, anise, and black currant.
View Recipe for red wine braised short ribs (opens in a new tab)Put this Faust Cabernet in the cart
David Jelinek, Coombsville core, James Suckling 92. Fifty-five dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is the Faust bottle for a table that wants Coombsville Cabernet, not a generic Napa slogan.
