You may remember how I marvelled at Screaming Eagle’s vineyard manager Annie Favia in How to make a wine’s reputation when she told me that she had not sent out her own Favia wines for review. Since she is married to Andy Erickson, Screagle’s winemaker, it was a fair guess that the wines would have found favour with the odd critic, but she told me she preferred to present her wines personally and was loth to have them tasted without her there to explain them.
When I was in California at the end of June I had the pleasure of...