
A highly acclaimed and rare Bordeaux-style wine from Napa Valley, known for its perfect balance of fruit, earthy notes, and complexity, making it a must-have for collectors.
This is one of the most sought after wines in the world, perennially earning critic scores between 98 and 100. This is also a rare Bordeaux style wine from Napa Valley; where fruit is usually center stage for most of Napa's top offerings, this one balances that fruit with layers of earthy goodness, herbs and flowers, and licorice and other notes imparted from the barrel. This is a classic that should be in any serious collector's cellar.
From their steep hillside vineyards on Pritchard Hill, the 2014 Proprietary Red IX Estate is an old-fashioned Médoc blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, but with some Cabernet Franc (rarely seen in the Médoc these years) as well as Merlot and Petit Verdot. Striking aromatics of violets, forest floor, loamy soil nuances, blueberry, black raspberry and blackberry soar from the glass of this spectacular 2014. The acidity seems reasonable but on the lower side, the texture is magnificent, and the overall purity and equilibrium flawless. This is a wine pushing, even demanding, a three-digit score once again, but I'm holding back – at least for now. This magnificent effort from Colgin should drink beautifully for 25-30 years.
The 2014 IX Estate is a normal blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon supported by Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. From a consistently warm, moderate growing season, this has a layered, forward style in its ripe black and blue fruits as well as loamy earth, tobacco leaf, and graphite, with perfectly integrated background oak. Full-bodied, supple, and utterly seamless on the palate, it’s another wine from Tauziet that delivers sensational richness and depth with no sensation of weight or heaviness. Drink bottles any time over the coming two decades.