Faust "The Pact" Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
(Coombsville, Napa Valley, California) - [JS 96] [WS 93, #98 TOP 100 OF 2021]

Click here to see all of the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2021 we have available!

About the Winery: 
Faust is the second wine of Agustin and Valeria Huneeus ' Quintessa. They developed Quintessa in 1990 to establish the property as one of the great red wine estates of the world. Valeria guided the 280-acre Rutherford vineyard with strict care for the soil and environment with a commitment to biodynamic and organic farming. The vineyard's many micro-climates, soil types, elevations, and exposures have been planted to a wide selection of rootstocks and clones, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and small plots of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenère. The wine is made by Charles Thomas of Quintessa.

Notes from the Winemaker:
The Coombsville AVA is both the newest in Napa Valley and the farthest south. The region benefits from the marine breezes coming off the nearby San Pablo Bay, as well as a long and cool growing season due to its location in the valley. This extended ripening period gives The Pact its signature silkiness, unmistakable blue and black fruit and it pronounced acidity.

Carefully selected from the premier blocks of the Coombsville estate that sit on an elevated bench with volcanic soils underneath. The 2018 opens with fresh aromas of black cherries, black currants and blue fruits with graphite, tobacco, star anise and cocoa powder notes rounding the finish. The Pact is defined by minerality and purity, and its fine-grained tannins and natural acidity ensure that it will last for decades.

96 Points - James Suckling:
"This is really something, showing focus and purity that highlights the unique character of this appellation. So much blue fruit, lavender and walnut with some herbal and sweet-tobacco undertones. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and poised. Lovely quality to the tannins. Exceptional. Drink after 2022." (10/26/2020)

93 Points, #98 Top 100 of 2021 - Wine Spectator:
"Distinctive, with a well-defined mix of açaí berry, plum and blueberry fruit that has a cool and fresh feel, while racy graphite, dark earth, tobacco and violet accents fill in the background. Structured and energetic through the finish, with the fruit-earth interplay showing nice persistence. Best from 2021 through 2031. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 2,200 cases made." - JM (8/2021)

12 Wines That Serious Collectors Don't Want You to Know About - Food & Wine:
"Sure, $125 may not seem like a bargain, but considering that winemaker David Jelinek has produced Harlan ($1,400+) and Joseph Phelps ($220+), it's a steal. The best place to enjoy it, of course, is at the newly renovated Faust Haus in St. Helena (home of the old St. Clement winery). In the glass, the 2018 Pact reveals an inky red, glass staining color, with aromas of boysenberry, candied raspberry, and red cherry. Lofty purple floral notes emerge on the tight knit, textured palate, unfolding in black-fruited waves atop elongated tannins all gliding toward a salted dark chocolate finish. It's plain to see why Faust fans want to keep it all for themselves."