One of Napa Valley’s original cult Cabernets, Colgin Cellars was founded in 1992, but it was in 1998 that Ann Colgin purchased a 125-acre parcel overlooking Lake Hennessey on Pritchard Hill that would come to be known as IX Estate. The property was carved from an ancient lava flow marked by rocky reddish clay soils and 20 acres of vines were planted in 2000, ranging from 1100-1400 feet in elevation. The first wine bottled was the 2002 vintage, and over nearly 20 years we have been fortunate to enjoy enough exhilarating bottles that we can definitively declare that Colgin’s IX Estate is consistently one of the most complex and complete cellar-worthy Cabernets in Napa Valley.

The 2008 IX Estate is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot. The 2008 vintage was a drought year and the hot and dry conditions resulted in significantly lower than average yields. The Cabernet was harvested after a respite from the heat in September that produced ripe tannins and complex flavors. Bright red fruit is balanced by savory herbal notes and long, silky tannins.

With just the right amount of rain and minimal heat spikes, the 2009 growing season was relatively uneventful and produced beautifully balanced wines. 69% Cabernet Sauvignon is complemented by 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot. Soaring aromatics give way to dark red fruit, but this vintage is defined by minerality, as gravel, graphite, and crushed rocks deliver a long, seamless finish.

Easily the coolest vintage of this trio, 2010 allowed for optimum ripening and development in the vineyard. 63% Cabernet Sauvignon with 20% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot, this blend comes across as elegantly understated. High-toned aromatics include notes of menthol and sweet red fruit, while in the mouth, the wine’s voluptuous fruit is framed by perfectly ripe and harmonious tannins.