Colgin Cellars: A Symphony of Perfection

Cariad, the Welsh word for “love”, is a blend from three outstanding vineyards owned and managed by David Abreu. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc from Madrona Ranch are blended with small amounts of fruit from Thorevilos and Howell Mountain, producing a wine of enormous proportions with a classic structure.

IX Estate, another Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, is from Colgin’s highest altitude vineyard and displays clay, herbs, dark fruit notes and sweet well-balanced tannins. The number IX refers to the parcel number and is also significant as the date Ann and Joe were married: 9/9. Wine critic Robert Parker called the IX Estate, “as close to a viticultural nirvana as I’ve ever seen”.

Tychson Hill is from an exceptional site that imparts earthy, ethereal notes of power and elegance. Incredibly long and round, this is the rarest wine produced by Colgin. Antonio Galloni has described this wine as “very voluptuous and sexy . . . what you would think of a Napa Valley wine as being”. He goes on to say, “Tychson Hill is a soloist, but IX Estate is an orchestra.”

2010 Cariad  

"The 2010 Proprietary Red Cariad reveals great intensity along with abundant notes of unsmoked tobacco leaf interwoven with blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit, charcoal and coffee bean nuances as well as a Pauillac-like lead pencil shaving character. This blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 14% Cabernet Franc is one of the finest wines I tasted over the 12 days I spent tasting in Napa Valley in late August and early September." 

100 Pts Robert Parker

2012 Tychson Hill 

"The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill is an absolutely profound wine, dense, bluish purple color to the rim with a stunning nose of acacia flowers, graphite, blueberry and blackcurrant fruit. The wine is full-bodied and displays a multi-dimensional, skyscraper-like mouthfeel with no sense of heaviness or weight."

100 Pts Robert Parker

2007 IX Estate 

"The staggeringly rich, complex, harmonious, impeccably well-balanced 2007 IX Proprietary Red Estate (1,400 case produced) exhibits aromas of spring flowers, cedarwood, Asian spices, licorice, blueberries, and blackberries. A distinct liqueur of minerals buttresses the full-bodied, massive concentration, giving an overall impression of elegance, purity, and harmony. This is another seamless tour de force in winemaking. It should drink well for 25 or more years" 

100 Pts Robert Parker