If you are a steak house lover, you have probably ordered a Faust Cabernet Sauvignon at your favorite high-end steak house.  We have ordered it many times to accompany a good steak, as it is a dependable, reasonably priced Napa Cab and comes from the appellation that we live in, Coombsville. I have passed the huge Faust sign dominating Coombsville Avenue thousands of times on my way back and forth to downtown Napa.  Naturally, when we heard Faust was opening a new tasting room, we assumed it was in Coombsville and we eagerly made an appointment for opening week. ( I am giving myself too much credit using the term “we”- actually, it was my friend Kristi who heard all about it and got us out of our pandemic loungewear for the first time in months.  Thanks, Kristi!)   Good thing we double-checked the address! Even though they are known for their Coombsville grapes, the new Faust tasting experience take place at a transformed 1878 Victorian home (The Faust Haus) in St. Helena, 25 miles north of Coombsville. 

For those of you who care to keep track of the heritage of labels and wineries, Faust is owned by  Huneeus Vintners, who also own Quintessa, Leviathan and Flowers, and notably sold Prisoner for gazillions of dollars.   In 2016 the Huneeus family purchased the St. Clement Winery, with some vague whispers of renovating the tasting room.  They must have had a bigger plan in mind, and since the purchase have quietly carried out a major transformation of the property, dropping the St. Clement brand completely, it seems, and re-branding the property to be the Faust Haus, while simultaneously carrying out a full re-branding of the 18 year old Faust brand, transforming it from a stuffy but respected label (first “born” in 2002) to a new and sexier brand.  The wine itself (winemaker David Jelinek) has not changed, just the image and brand identity has gotten a face lift.

The results are impressive.  For me, it’s not just what is inside the bottle but what surrounds the brand, the story (if there is a story), the vibe of the experience, or the look of the bottle. In the Valley, ya gotta have a schtick.  I was immediately attracted to the new label, being both modern and mysterious.  It is all black with gold and silver line drawings and a new font as well. I wasn’t surprised at all to learn that it was another Michael Mcdermott production.  I love his wine label aesthetic. The label for Faust Cabernet Sauvignon (the steak house wine) appears to depict Dr. Faust, a highly educated scientist and learned figure from the 15th century, surrounded by his gothic devices, and astrological symbols, being approached by a serpent. In the renowned story by Goethe, Faust, though successful, is dissatisfied and makes a pact with the devil, trading his soul for unlimited knowledge...a Faustian bargain. It’s definitely a dark figure for a winery to choose as it’s symbolic poster child...but then The Prisoner was as well, and look how well that has done.

The Tasting Experience

Since it is the Covid Era, tastings are held outside the Victorian, on a beautiful tiered patio with expansive views of St. Helena.  It would be perfectly peaceful but for the sounds of cars and trucks down below on Highway 29.  It didn’t bother me until my friend, Laurie pointed it out. There is plenty of spacing and comfortable lounging tables for tastings.  This was our first venture out since the pandemic and we absolutely felt safe. Ty, our host (if you get to visit, you’ll recognize him because his arm is tatted with the words, “Yes, Chef” and also a realistic bunch of carrots which we learned was inspired by his time working in the kitchen of Thomas Keller), served us a deliciously cold Sauvignon Blanc, which happens to be my favorite white.  That first sip was surprising in that it was an immediate burst of citrus and floral without having a sweet after taste. Even if I have a preference for Sauvignon Blanc, I don’t usually get this excited about it- but I loved it.  I wanted more, and Ty was very obliging with the pours! The Sauvignon Blanc is only available to wine club members and sells for $55.

On to the heavy reds, and a little surprise!  Tai came out with two black boxes - very mysterious. My hope that they were filled with nibbles was satisfied.  Inside the boxes were portions of delightful savories, including hummus, cheese, crackers, and fresh baby carrots. I love that Faust is almost all Cab focussed, so you get to dive right into those heavy reds.  We had several bottles served to us, including the current release 2018 “Faust”, which is the Coombsville Cab that is found in many steak house restaurants. It is delicious, definitely fits the profile of a jammy Napa Cab and at $55 a bottle, it is a respectable wine to bring to someone’s house for dinner.  The next bottle was The Hour (2016), which is their Red Blend, and like the Sauvignon Blanc is only available to wine club members.  It is a blend of Coombsville estate vines blending Malbec, Merlot, and Syrah.  For me, it had a tobacco-y masculine flavor that would pair well with bar b q. Finally, we tried The Pact (2017), the premium Cab that is sold at $125, and we were able to taste it side by side with the 2011 vintage. It was interesting to try them side by side and to imagine what the 2017 bottle would possibly grow into.  If you are impatient, at $155 for the 2011 Cab is not a huge markup over the $125 price of the current release. 

The Faust Haus

 After our tasting, we ordered some bottles and two of us joined the club, aptly named,The Pact Society.  That is a pretty good conversion rate, but honestly, we really wanted that members-only Sauvignon Blanc, and the access to the Speakeasy was also a consideration. Moreover by joining it also meant that two of our tasting fees  ($55 a person) were removed, so really we were just be smart and saving money!  We had some time as they prepared our bottles, so we explored the property. The Victorian, renovated by architect David Darling of Aidlin Darling Design is open to exploring, as long as you wear a mask. Hopefully, indoor tastings will be available soon, as it would be easy to maintain social distancing. The ground floor has three areas that could be used for tasting, and has a 1920’s modern vibe, with dark floors and walls.  Upstairs is the opposite - it feels contemporary with blond floors and bright walls, with the room dominated by a long table. Finally, there is the underground “Speakeasy” which is housed in the foundations of the building.  This creates yet another potential area for tastings and has a large bar that will surely be a centerpiece for Club Member parties- if those ever happen again. The design aesthetic was seen to by Oma LaSassier, the principle designer of Maca Huneeus Design.

The Speakeasy; a nod to the prohibition era…

 "Faustian" imply a situation in which an ambitious person surrenders moral integrity in order to achieve power and success for a limited term.

The combination of exquisite moderately priced wines with an incredible and unique tasting experience will surely put Faust on the “new” tasting map which appeals to the hipper, often younger crowd of wine tasters, that seems to be the trend. Several wineries are trying to attract that crowd of young wine tasters, whether through re-branding and renovating an old property (e.g. Charles Krug and Clos du Val) or through the creation of new properties (e.g. Prisoner and Ashes and Diamonds). I haven’t been suckered into joining a wine club in a long time, but somehow I was put under a spell of the Devil and signed up for “The Pact”. The Huneeus family certainly seems to have a Midas touch when it comes to turning wine into gold, or perhaps it’s more accurate to say, they have some kind of Faustian bargain going?  Sorry, I couldn’t resist!