2017 Colgin Cellars “IX Estate“ Napa Valley 750 ml

Ann Colgin founded Colgin Cellars in 1992, after a distinguished career in the world of fine art. Colgin’s first winemaker, Helen Turley, set the standard for excellence, and that tradition is now maintained by Director of Winemaking Allison Tauziet.

The IX Estate hails from Colgin’s 125-acre Pritchard Hill property, which overlooks Lake Hennessey and is also home to Colgin’s cutting-edge winery. The vineyard itself consists of 20 acres carved into a hillside, and boasts varied slopes from gentle to steep. Pritchard Hill is known for some of the most precious and characterful soils in Napa Valley, and that shows in this wine: The rocks give it its towering structure and power, while the iron-rich red clay gives it an enveloping warmth and texture.

This is a wine that will absolutely reward patience. Pritchard Hill’s power is on full display giving the wine a deep iron core surrounded by dark fruit. Wine Advocate’s 98-point review raves, “the palate is built like a brick house, strutting incredibly ripe yet super firm tannins, and it has lovely, uplifting freshness to help define all those black fruit and savory layers, finishing with epic length.”