Detailed Description
A big, rich, flavorful style, with tiers of plum, black cherry and blackberry fruit, accented by anise, sage and dusty oak flavors. Yet for all its size, this is impeccably balanced, with a long, deep, persistent finish that keeps the focus on the fruit. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: The 2004 Cariad, a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 8% Cabernet Franc, was made from fruit purchased from David Abreu’s vineyards, most of it coming from his St. Helena property, the Madrona Ranch. Always one of the most aromatically complex wines, the 2004 comes across as a Graves-like offering with enormous notes of scorched earth, a hot rocks sort of nose and meaty black currant and black cherry fruit. Some tannins are still left, but the wine is round, generously endowed, full-bodied and opulent with terrific complexity.
- Wine Spectator: A big, rich, flavorful style, with tiers of plum, black cherry and blackberry fruit, accented by anise, sage and dusty oak flavors. Yet for all its size, this is impeccably balanced, with a long, deep, persistent finish that keeps the focus on the fruit. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Producer Information
Colgin Cellars is one of California’s so-called “cult” wineries, founded by Ann Colgin in 1992. She produced some of her early vintages from vineyards at the foot of the Howell Mountains in Napa Valley, before purchasing land on the Tychson Hill and hiring famed viticulturalist David Abreu to plant her vineyards. Today Colgin produces wines that are mostly based on Cabernet Sauvignon and regularly score 100-point ratings from Robert Parker.Colgin produces wines from three different areas of St Helena: Tychson Hill Vineyard, Cariad Vineyards and the IX estate vineyards, the latter of which the borders the Colgin winery. The Tychson Hill Vineyards were originally planted in 1881 by the first female vintner in Napa, Josephine Tychson. The original vines were pulled during Prohibition and, in 1997, Colgin replanted the vineyards with a mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The vines are grown on volcanic soils on the slopes of the Tychson Hill. The Tychson Hill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon vintages 2002, 2012 and most recently the 2013 have perfect scores from Robert Parker, with the critic comparing the wines to a hypothetical blend of the finest Pauillac and Napa Valley wines.
