The score for 2003 Colgin Cellars IX Estate Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon is 96+ points from Robert Parker and the tasting note - The 2003 IX Estate Proprietary Red is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from their steep hillside vineyards. The youngest, tightest, most masculine wine of this quartet, it will benefit from another 5-6 years of cellaring and should have 25 years of life ahead of it. This impressive, blue/purple-colored 2003 behaves more like a 4- to 5-year-old wine than one that is a decade old. It is just beginning to strut its full potential. There is a roasted meaty character to this beauty, along with plenty of cassis, blackberries, blueberries, incense and spring flower notes. It admirably reveals the great terroir Ann Colgin and her husband, Joe Wender, have unlocked high above Lake Hennessey. When Colgin’s 2003s were made, winemaker Mark Aubert was working with Bordeaux consultant Dr. Alain Raynaud. Both remember 2003 as a year of small yields with a wet spring, a moderate summer, and huge heat spikes during the third week of September. The score for 2003 Colgin Cellars IX Estate Red Wine Napa Valley is 96+ points from Robert Parker and the tasting note - The 2003 IX Estate Proprietary Red is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from their steep hillside vineyards. The youngest, tightest, most masculine wine of this quartet, it will benefit from another 5-6 years of cellaring and should have 25 years of life ahead of it. This impressive, blue/purple-colored 2003 behaves more like a 4- to 5-year-old wine than one that is a decade old. It is just beginning to strut its full potential. There is a roasted meaty character to this beauty, along with plenty of cassis, blackberries, blueberries, incense and spring flower notes. It admirably reveals the great terroir Ann Colgin and her husband, Joe Wender, have unlocked high above Lake Hennessey. When Colgin’s 2003s were made, winemaker Mark Aubert was working with Bordeaux consultant Dr. Alain Raynaud. Both remember 2003 as a year of small yields with a wet spring, a moderate summer, and huge heat spikes during the third week of September. The score for 2003 Colgin Cellars IX Estate Syrah Napa Valley is 95 points from Robert Parker and the tasting note - Aubert demonstrates a superb know-how with Syrah. These wines are macerated for 35-45 days, and given frequent pump-overs as well as punch-downs. They are aged completely in French oak. Colgin’s 2003 IX Syrah Estate (330 cases) has added considerable complexity and weight since I tasted it last year, becoming very Burgundian in its huge aromatics and opulent, full-bodied power. Aromas of road tar, ground pepper, espresso roast, blackberries, and an exotic floral character emerge from this beauty.