2022 Colgin "IX Estate" Napa Valley Horizontal

“The IX Estate Syrah from Colgin is a powerhouse of iron-stone minerality and expressive Mediterranean sweet herbs, layered with sage oil, bay leaf, and fresh blood orange citrus zest. A perfumed richness weaves through, mingling with honeysuckle, salty white truffle, molten graphite, and liquorice, creating an unbelievably expressive and deeply complex wine. Winemaker Allison Tauziet notes that the three Syrah clones planted on the estate originate from Côte-Rôtie, contributing to the wine’s nuanced aromas and flavours. Full-bodied and intensely concentrated, the pure fruit expression is multifaceted—like looking through a prism—while the unimaginably long finish lasts two minutes, driven by saline-mineral freshness and perfumed intensity. The tannins are super-suave, fine-grained, ripe, and polished, adding to the wine’s seamless texture. On the winemaking side, co-ferments in open-top stainless steel and full destemming preserve purity, followed by roughly 20 months of ageing in 50–60% new Burgundy barrels—a stunning, transcendent Syrah. (JC)” (02/2025)

“Some of the Syrah was brought in during the September heat wave, but most hung through it—successfully. Colgin's 2022 Syrah IX Estate blasts out of the glass with a huge wave of blueberries, followed by demure hints of cracked pepper and dried sage. It's full-bodied, rich and velvety without ever getting coarse, revealing a hint of dark chocolate on the long finish and a faint touch of warmth. (JC)” (06/2025)

“Classic stuff, the 2022 Syrah IX Estate is a stunning example of the vintage. Darker berries, garrigue, lavender, and peppery olive (and who knows what else) all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It’s a brilliant Syrah that I’d be happy to put up with the top Syrahs in the world.” (01/2025)

“Aromas of smoke, grilled meat, violets, lavender and dark fruit. It’s medium- to full-bodied with lots of hazelnut and dark fruit character on the palate. A full, flavorful finish that’s vibrant and nervy. Lovely phenolics. Some smoke and toast character with coffee and chocolate undertones. Fades nicely at the end. Drink or hold.” (02/2025)

“The 2022 Syrah IX Estate is fabulous. A wine of exquisite finesse, the 2022 is a real head-turner. Silky, aromatic and bright, the Syrah is so compelling. Punchy red fruit, floral overtones and blood orange confer freshness. There's a bit of grippiness in the tannin, but then again, this is a young hillside Syrah. Impressive. (AG)” (12/2024)

“Alluring for its cocoa nib and violet aromas, which join a lushly textured palate filled with juicy, chocolate-accented notes of blackberry and cherry. This switches gears and leans into its savory side, showing graphite, loam and licorice details on the finish around refined tannins. (AR)” (02/2025)

“I’m speechless about this one. It’s a wine that makes you think of other great, classic wines. It’s full-bodied and tannic, with the intensity that Napa wines achieve in hot vintages, yet it remains tense and blue-fruited, showing that it’s a mountain red that was not affected by the extreme weather of the vintage. There are flavors of menthol and fresh thyme in the finish. A beguiling wine. A blend of about 70% cabernet sauvignon, 20% cabernet franc and some merlot and petit verdot. Drink after 2030, but exciting to taste now to understand its greatness.” (02/2025)

“Enticing black cherry and blackberry fruit is laced with elegant cedarwood spice. The structure is impressive yet refined, with suave, leather-scented tannins, fresh tobacco and layers of incense, rich cocoa nibs, sandalwood and lavender on the finish. Full-bodied, this is built for long-term cellaring, yet offers remarkable upfront pleasure now. The blend contains 20% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. Fermented in stainless steel and aged for approximately 20 months in 60% new French oak. (JC)” (03/2025)

“Colgin's 2022 IX Estate—pronounced Nine Estate—is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon but also includes a fair dose of Cabernet Franc, plus Merlot and Petit Verdot. Picked well after the heat wave because of its location high on Pritchard Hill, it boasts stunning complexity on the nose: blueberry, boysenberry and loganberry, joined by sage, bay leaf, dusty earth and mocha. Full-bodied, it's tannic and firmly built, by far the most structural of Colgin's 2022s, but it does show a slight coarsening of texture on the lingering finish. (JC) 98+” (06/2025)

“From the estate vineyard that sees slightly lower daytime highs yet warmer nights, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon IX Estate is another deeply hued 2022 from this team that has so much to love. Red and black cherries, roasted herbs, licorice crushed stone, and graphite are just some of the nuances in this incredible Cabernet. With full-bodied richness, a deep, layered style, and just about flawless tannins, it will be accessible with just short-term cellaring yet still have two decades of longevity.” (01/2025)

“The 2022 IX Estate opens with captivating aromatics. Cedar, tobacco, dried flowers, espresso, Mediterranean herbs and leather race across the palate. Vibrant and sculpted, the IX Estate is incredibly reticent at this stage. That should not be an issue in another few years' time. Like all the wines here in 2022, the IX Estate is on the understated side relative to most years. It could very well be one of the wines of the vintage. (AG) 97+” (12/2024)