2019 Colgin, IX Estate, Napa Valley, California, USA

Ripe cherries, plums and flowers on the nose. Orange peel, too, together with hints of thyme, bay leaf and sage. Medium-to full-bodied, incredibly deep and fresh, with fine tannins that carry you deep down into the finish. It tells you its great, but makes you spend time in order to understand it. Reminds me of the 1990 Latour. Try after 2027.

2019 was a late-ripening vintage at Colgin’s IX Estate on Pritchard Hill. Much was picked during the third week of October, allowing winemaker Allison Tauzier to perform a little more co-fermentation.

The 2019 IX Estate is opaque purple-black in color, needing a little coaxing to unlock notions of blackberry preserves, baked plums and crème de cassis, plus hints of pencil lead, star anise, wild sage and Indian spices, leading to a fragrant waft of lavender. Built like a brick house, the opulent, full-bodied palate is perfectly framed by super firm, exquisitely ripe tannins and a fantastic acid line to give lift throughout the long earthy finish. So finely knit together, this multi-layered, seamless beauty is just breathtaking.

Drink 2025 - 2065

The IX Estate merges the merits of Tychson Hill and Cariad. The lush and perfumed nose displays brambly, blackberry aromas with a hint of mocha. The attack is fresh and limpid, with good acidity and ripe tannins that give texture and cut. It may lack a little drive, but it's elegant and fine-grained, with a balanced and persistent finish.

Drink 2022-2042

This offers a pretty large-scaled core of cassis, blackberry and mulberry fruit flavors sitting atop a band of graphite, while singed mesquite and apple wood and sweet tobacco notes fill in along the edges. Dense, but juicy and well-defined through the finish. To be released November 2022.

Drink 2024-2040

The 2019 IX Estate is supremely elegant and polished. All the strong mineral and savory accents typical of this site are present, but they are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. Bright and chiseled, the 2019 is focused and full of character right out of the gate. Dried herb, tobacco, chocolate and mineral accents lend nuance throughout. My impression is that the 2019 is still recovering from its recent bottling. It is already stellar, but it will be even more stellar in time.

Drink 2027 - 2044