2002 Colgin Cellars, IX Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Case of 3 Btls

Robert Parker | 100 Points

"Another perfect wine, which has turned out even better than I anticipated seven years ago, is the estate wine, the 2002 IX Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot from the hillsides above the winery (one of the most gorgeous vineyards I’ve ever seen in the world). Yields were a frightening one-half ton per acre. Like all of Colgin’s 2002s, as this wine sat in the glass it seemed to change and improve every 20 seconds or so. Gorgeous black/plum/purple in color, much like the Tychson Hill, it offers up a completely different set of aromatics, ranging from Asian soy to damp forest floor to hints of mountain laurel, lavender, roasted meats, a touch of pepper, and wonderfully sweet blackberry and cassis fruit. Some charcoal and subtle barbecue smoke are also present in this extraordinary statement, which has also evolved at a relatively rapid pace. It seems fully mature by most standards yet should hold at this plateau for at least a decade. What is remarkable about all of these wines is that they were aged in 100% new French oak, but the oak has gone into total hiding."