2011 Colgin "IX Estate" Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend

The 2011 IX Estate is another super-impressive wine. Mocha, tobacco, wild flowers, white pepper and incense all meld together in a silky, supple wine long on finesse and energy. Firm, muscular tannins support the explosive, brooding finish. Cool, intensely mineral and savory, the 2011 is vivid and thrilling in the glass, just as the single components have always been from barrel. In 2011, IX Estate is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. 95+ (AG) (11/2013)

Aromas of spices, sage, bay leaf and pepper. Medium to full body with juicy tannins and a tangy, orange peel finish. It's balanced and pretty. So drinkable now. Mostly Cabernet with Merlot, Franc, and Petit Verdot. (5/2014)

(66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot): Bright ruby-red. Wonderfully scented nose offers dark currant, black olive, licorice, smoke, caramel oak and shoe polish, all lifted by an exhilarating note of tangerine oil. Sappy, sweet and smooth, showing compelling mineral and floral lift to the intense dark berry flavors. Again, this is not a powerhouse but its penetration and lift are remarkable. Ultimately plusher than the Tychson Hill example and more minerally too. Still a baby. 94+ (ST) (5/2014)

The 2011 IX Estate (66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot) possesses surprising density and richness (then again, it-s from a hillside vineyard that was above the fog line in 2011), impressive purity, lots of red, blue and black fruits, and not a trace of herbaceousness. The oak is nicely integrated in this soft, round, generously endowed effort. It should drink nicely for a decade or more. (RP) (10/2013)

Complex fresh earth, dark berry, spice and cedar aromatics unfold on the palate, with a bright display of currant and blackberry flavors, folding into dusty, cedary underbrush notes. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2022. (11/2014)