2022 Colgin, IX Estate Syrah, Napa Valley, California, USA

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2022 IX Estate Syrah needs a little swirling to bring out classic violets and orange blossom scents, leading to a core of black cherry compote, blueberry preserves, and charcuterie, plus suggestions of licorice and garrigue. The medium to full-bodied palate is wonderfully perfumed with layers of savory-laced black and blue fruits and a plush texture, delivering seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Gorgeous! Around 500 cases were made.

Some of the Syrah was brought in during the September heat wave, but most hung through it—successfully. Colgin's 2022 Syrah IX Estate blasts out of the glass with a huge wave of blueberries, followed by demure hints of cracked pepper and dried sage. It's full-bodied, rich and velvety without ever getting coarse, revealing a hint of dark chocolate on the long finish and a faint touch of warmth.

The IX Estate Syrah from Colgin is a powerhouse of iron-stone minerality and expressive Mediterranean sweet herbs, layered with sage oil, bay leaf, and fresh blood orange citrus zest. A perfumed richness weaves through, mingling with honeysuckle, salty white truffle, molten graphite, and liquorice, creating an unbelievably expressive and deeply complex wine. Winemaker Allison Tauziet notes that the three Syrah clones planted on the estate originate from Côte-Rôtie, contributing to the wine’s nuanced aromas and flavours. Full-bodied and intensely concentrated, the pure fruit expression is multifaceted—like looking through a prism—while the unimaginably long finish lasts two minutes, driven by saline-mineral freshness and perfumed intensity. The tannins are super-suave, fine-grained, ripe, and polished, adding to the wine’s seamless texture. On the winemaking side, co-ferments in open-top stainless steel and full destemming preserve purity, followed by roughly 20 months of ageing in 50–60% new Burgundy barrels—a stunning, transcendent Syrah. (Colgin’s inaugural release was the 1992 Herb Lamb Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1998, Ann Colgin acquired a 125-acre parcel on Pritchard Hill overlooking Lake Hennessey, planting 20 acres and establishing the estate winery. The site is a sprawling, rugged landscape of woodlands and steep terrain, with soils composed of weathered volcanic lava flow, well-drained reddish clays, and weathered igneous rock. The vineyard is divided into 24 blocks, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Syrah.)

Classic stuff, the 2022 Syrah IX Estate is a stunning example of the vintage. Darker berries, garrigue, lavender, and peppery olive (and who knows what else) all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It’s a brilliant Syrah that I’d be happy to put up with the top Syrahs in the world. I doubt it will be as long-lived as some of the vintages here, but it should nevertheless have 15 years of longevity.

Aromas of smoke, grilled meat, violets, lavender and dark fruit. It’s medium- to full-bodied with lots of hazelnut and dark fruit character on the palate. A full, flavorful finish that’s vibrant and nervy. Lovely phenolics. Some smoke and toast character with coffee and chocolate undertones. Fades nicely at the end. Drink or hold.

Classic stuff, the 2022 Syrah IX Estate is a stunning example of the vintage. Darker berries, garrigue, lavender, and peppery olive (and who knows what else) all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It’s a brilliant Syrah that I’d be happy to put up with the top Syrahs in the world. I doubt it will be as long-lived as some of the vintages here, but it should nevertheless have 15 years of longevity.