“IX Estate” Syrah

Tasting Notes

The 2017 “IX Estate” Syrah is a myriad of intricate flavors. Combining floral aromatics of dried potpourri, violets and mandarin zest with hints of white pepper, saucisson, and niçoise olive, the 2017 ‘IX Estate’ Syrah is both savory and luscious. Delectable notes of ripe blackberry and black licorice entice the senses. The suave, layered tannins on the palate lead to an extraordinarily long and decadent finish.

Climatic Conditions

The 2017 vintage began with double the average rainfall in winter, refilling the water reserves and delaying the beginning of the season. Warm weather in late April triggered a beautiful, rapid flowering and an extended heat wave in late May forced vines to taper off growth and focus efforts on the berries. The summer of 2017 experienced a few intense heat events, whose ultimate effect on our sites was to minimize the berry size and enhance concentration of the fruit. The balance between the canopy and the fruit in 2017 was unlike other years in that the lusher than normal green shoots and leaves of springtime added extra protection to the crop during the frequent heat waves. Harvest began in the middle of September with cold nights and sunny days and continued at a rapid pace until its completion on October 6th.

In 2017, thoughtful decisions about canopy management, irrigation, crop thinning and picking dates led Colgin to craft wines that enhance the strengths of this growing season, such as its aromatic complexity, greater natural acidity and pleasurable structure- qualities that will guarantee a long evolution in bottle. In the near term, the 2017 vintage wines express an inward nature. They hold within them a resilient spirit and reflect the character of all vintages that precede them, with perfume, freshness and minerality taking center stage.

Tasting Notes

The 2015 “IX Estate” Syrah gratifies the senses in this succulent expression of the vintage. Deep notes of ripe plum, macerated cherries, and anise saturate the nose. Chocolate and orange liqueur entice the palate while a note of cracked pepper and sea salt temper their indulgence. The 2015 “IX Estate” Syrah is brimming with rich, full flavors that lead into an incredibly unctuous texture on the palate. This decadent Syrah finishes with a savory quality that tempts the next sip. Our Syrah exemplifies the palpable energy in this electric vintage, where the warmth of the season intensifies the vibrant flavors of the “IX Estate.”

Climatic Conditions

2015 continues the streak of exquisite vintages produced from the extended drought that began in 2013 in the Napa Valley. Much of the rain for the 2015 season came before winter even began. A long delay until early February followed, when a large storm came bringing mainly surface runoff. These alternating wet and dry conditions, combined with a warm winter, led to an early bud break at the beginning of March. A long, cool spring ensued bringing sporadic growing conditions leading into bloom. Uneven weather during flowering led to very light clusters with few berries, thus ensuring a small crop. What began as a challenge, ultimately resulted in a blessing. The small crop with tiny berries ripened quickly over the warm summer and fall, bringing fruit with vivid color and exciting levels of flavor. We crafted the 2015 vintage at Colgin with an emphasis on preserving the aromatic exuberance of the wines. The lush textures and inky color in the nascent wines guided us toward gentler extraction that would preserve the wine’s balance and let the energy shine through

Tasting Notes

With its tantalizing interplay of the sweet and the savory, the 2013 "IX Estate" Syrah exhibits the hallmarks of a memorable vintage. A captivating perfume of red raspberry, orange blossom and crushed rocks, this gorgeously vibrant and feminine nose is also nuanced with scents of peppered meats and barbecue spice rub. Scents of the "IX Estate" garrigue, like the native sage and fresh bay laurel leaves, bring even more complexity to this powerfully concentrated wine. The iron component of the weathered volcanic soils at the "IX Estate" weaves a strong note of pure minerality into the wine in 2013, giving it a telltale sense of place. The vivid red flavors burst in the mouth along with perfectly plush tannins that are salivating and succulent. This vintage of Syrah has an incredible viscosity on the palate that helps carry the aromas into a long persistent finish.

Climatic Conditions

The 2013 growing season set the stage for an outstanding vintage of wines. With the ideal blend of cool and warm weather at the right time, the season gave us perfectly ripened fruit with purely preserved flavors and inky grape skins. What was perhaps atypical about 2013 was the rainfall pattern, as we were in our second year of a drought. All of our winter rain fell during the months of November, December and a small amount in January. Beyond January, we had no rain, yet the weather as it relates to temperature and fog patterns was absolutely magical. With a classically timed bud break to start the season, then gorgeous warm weather during bloom, the vines set a homogenous and fruitful crop- an ideal setup to the harvest season. In a sense the 2013 season was "made to order." By mid-September we reached a holding pattern of sunny and mild weather. By that point the berries had reached an unbelievable intensity of flavor, color and delicious tannin. The 2013 vintage was one that tested our courage to pick early rather than our patience to ripen the fruit longer. That same fortitude and self-restraint carried into the winemaking. With fruit so rich in flavor and texture, we found the wines extracted very effortlessly and thus the balance between power and elegance in the 2013 vintage was achieved with shorter macerations in the cellar.

Tasting Notes

Syrah was our earliest ripening variety on the steep rocky slope of the "IX Estate" and prospered in this vintage. The cooler temperatures helped to capture aromas with a striking level of purity. Yields were tiny in 2011 and the intensity of flavors is very high.

The perfume on the nose of the 2011 "IX Estate" Syrah is instantly captivating. The wine jumps out of the glass with seductive scents of tangerine peel, candied violets and jasmine tea. The wine captivates with its ethereal floral perfume, and also with the classic Syrah notes of cured meat and olive. The umami flavors of bacon fat, and smoked meat marry beautifully with the dark floral notes. This is one of the most salivating Syrahs we have crafted in recent memory, with an intense minerality and saline quality on the palate. The texture is luscious, with a beautiful round mid-palate and a caressing, silky finish. The tannins are broad, layered and unctuous. This vintage of "IX Estate" Syrah will bring great enjoyment in the near term for its silkiness, yet like other vintages, it will add more layers of complexity and breadth with time in bottle.

Climatic Conditions

There is enormous beauty to be found in the 2011 vintage! The experiences of the season are what help distinguish the pedigree of the Colgin vineyard sites from others. The 2011 growing season in Napa Valley seems only to be recognized for its challenges, yet a great site can take challenges in stride. With a wet start to the season, we have a significant advantage in that each of our sites is planted on hillsides with well-draining rocky soils. Given the wet spring, we experienced one of our latest blooms on record in June. The summer followed with relatively mild temperatures during which time we worked diligently in the vineyard to reduce the canopy and bring the vines into balance. At veraison in late August, we removed enough clusters to ensure a consistent, even ripening. We began our harvest the final week in September and picked virtually all of our Merlot and Syrah in this period. Two small rain events the first week of October hastened the progress of the harvest-yet what followed was altruistic, sunny weather which remained through the completion of the harvest season. We picked the Cabernet Sauvignon the second half of October and our conscientious team ensured only the most pristine berries were sorted into the fermentation tanks. The wines were made with a slightly more delicate hand in order to capture their freshness and respect the fruit. The resulting wines of the 2011 vintage are brilliantly aromatic. They have deliciously round tannin and are bolstered by a bright and balanced level of acidity. The flavors of each site truly stand out in this vintage, and the quality of the wines is a testament to the quality of the terroirs upon which they are grown.

Tasting Notes

The 2009 vintage was one that was characterized by balance. Budbreak started right on schedule in mid March. Though we had only received about two thirds of our normal rainfall over the winter, we were fortunate to have a few small rain events in April and May which would tide the vines over through the beginning of summer. A fairly classic weather pattern set in over the summer time. We experienced only a few days of heat over 100 degrees, which was followed by our traditional fog pattern coming in from the bay. The fog continued through much of August which lengthened the early maturation stage of the fruit, giving ample time for the vines to create fruit deep in pigment, and complex in flavor. Several small heat events in September rounded out the flavor and tannin development, allowing us to begin picking the Merlot and Syrah. Gorgeous mild weather the first week of October provided perfect conditions for ripening the Cabernet, which we picked steadily through the middle of the month. We finished harvest just before the cold and wet weather hit on October 13. The wines of this vintage are inky in color, fresh in flavor, and have incredibly silky and approachable tannins. The quality of the fruit in 2009 was uncompromised, and the wines reflect that purity of fruit and elegance of tannin.

The Colgin Syrah is vinified from four separate one acre parcels at IX Estate each with its own site specific attributes. All four plots have a different clone and rootstock combination along with soil changes which create four distinctive components. To craft the most complex final blend, we ferment and age all lots separately, selecting only the finest French oak barrels. In 2009, fermentation and maceration resulted in an average vatting time of 37 days. After 19 months of barrel ageing this Syrah was bottled in May 2011 without fining or filtration.

The fragrance from the 2009 "IX Estate" Syrah upon release is remarkably expressive. This wine possesses a beautiful orange blossom lift that makes it incredibly inviting and seductive. The more I delve into the wine, the more savory it becomes. The salty Parma ham, grilled duck breast and dark chocolate that come through on the nose are so tempting. On the palate, that savory quality continues with mouthwatering tannins. They have a fine grained quality to their structure, buttressed by lovely acidity. The orange blossom from the nose, turns to a lingering marmalade aroma on the finish. Overall, this vintage of "IX Estate" Syrah is full of inviting qualities, making it seem almost precocious, but the unctuous and suave texture of the tannin confirm that this is a wine built to last. Upon release, the wine will express itself quite easily and only require about one hour of decantation, but if laid down to age, it should last for 12 to 15 years.

We released 400 cases of the 2009 Colgin "IX Estate" Syrah in November 2012.

Climatic Conditions

The 2009 vintage was one that was characterized by balance. Budbreak started right on schedule in mid March. Though we had only received about two thirds of our normal rainfall over the winter, we were fortunate to have a few small rain events in April and May which would tide the vines over through the beginning of summer. A fairly classic weather pattern set in over the summer time. We experienced only a few days of heat over 100 degrees, which was followed by our traditional fog pattern coming in from the bay. The fog continued through much of August which lengthened the early maturation stage of the fruit, giving ample time for the vines to create fruit deep in pigment, and complex in flavor. Several small heat events in September rounded out the flavor and tannin development, allowing us to begin picking the Merlot and Syrah. Gorgeous mild weather the first week of October provided perfect conditions for ripening the Cabernet, which we picked steadily through the middle of the month. We finished harvest just before the cold and wet weather hit on October 13. The wines of this vintage are inky in color, fresh in flavor, and have incredibly silky and approachable tannins. The quality of the fruit in 2009 was uncompromised, and the wines reflect that purity of fruit and elegance of tannin.

Tasting Notes

The Colgin Syrah is vinified from four separate one acre parcels at IX Estate each with its own site specific attributes. All four plots have a different clone and rootstock combination along with soil changes which create four distinctive components. To craft the most complex final blend, we ferment and age all lots separately, selecting only the finest barrels. Fermentation and maceration resulted in an average vatting time of 30 to 35 days. After 22 months of barrel ageing this Syrah was racked only once in preparation for bottling. The wine was bottled in August 2009 without fining or filtration. Utilizing many old and modern winemaking techniques, we strive to create a Syrah that is varietally correct, site specific and to uphold the Colgin dedication to quality.

The 2007 "IX Estate" Syrah boasts the most complex and concentrated aromatics we've ever experienced in our syrah. This wine was so exciting in the making. As soon as the grapes were put into their open top tanks, the juice became instantly black. Once the fermentation began, the wines formed tantalizing aromas that have since carried through to bottle. Thanks to the cool weather that led up to the picking, the wine is very fresh and very expressive. As I taste it before release, a beautiful perfume of floral and spice leap from the glass. Darker notes of cured meats, cracked pepper, black olive, and jerky soon follow, along with the telltale notes of the IX Estate of wild sage, bay laurel and clay mineral. The unctuous tannins coat the palate while the savory flavors bring a succulent quality to the wine through to the finish. The 2007 Syrah has the freshness and approachability to drink near term, yet the dense flavors, rich structure and natural acidity will allow the wine to evolve beautifully for 15 years or more.

We released 450 cases of the 2007 Colgin "IX Estate" Syrah in November 2010.

Climatic Conditions

The 2007 vintage was defined by an exceptionally good growing season from beginning to end. The Napa Valley received just 60% of normal rainfall, encouraging our vines to begin bud break a week ahead of schedule. A mild spring followed, with several light rains that helped the vines to cope with the mild drought. Sunny, beautiful weather during bloom resulted in fruitful clusters that were uniform in size and maturity. A wonderfully moderate summer followed, with cooler than average temperatures, allowing for slow, even development of the berries. By late August, the berries were intensely pigmented and showing signs of outstanding quality. A short heat wave around Labor Day resulted in our earliest picking of Merlot ever at Colgin. But cool weather soon followed, allowing the Cabernet to hang longer, and to develop ripe tannins, at lower sugar levels, with great natural acidity. Overall, the 2007 vintage was truly a winemaker's dream. The wines are defined by their intense color, their deep aromatics, and their coating and supple tannins.