Colgin
Syrah IX Estate: A Complete Retrospective

BY STEPHEN TANZER | APRIL 17, 2017

Ann Colgin established Colgin Cellars in 1992 and then in 1998
purchased a 125-acre high-altitude estate on volcanic
soil in the Pritchard Hill area overlooking Lake Hennessey. She and her husband
Joe Wender named their property IX Estate because it was parcel #9 when
previously owned by the Long Family and because Ann
married Joe on September 9 (9/9). In 2000, they planted 20 acres of vines on IX
Estate and in 2002 they completed their winery there and vinified their first
harvest—not just the IX Red Wine (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,
Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) but a 100% Syrah that was stunningly rich and
complex from the get-go. Subsequent vintages have only proven the site’s greatness
for Syrah. 

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1492522934265-Colgin+Cellars%27+IX+Estate+copy.JPG">Colgin Cellars' IX Estate Vineyard 

Planting
Syrah Was a Risk

At a comprehensive vertical tasting of the IX
Estate Syrah at the property in March, Colgin told me that she and her husband
had long enjoyed the wines of the northern Rhône Valley and that she had never
intended to plant her Pritchard Hill property entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon. But
planting four acres of Syrah was a risk at the time. “The Syrah project was
really our own idea. Most of our friends, as well as our vineyard manager David
Abreu, thought we were crazy,” she said, noting that she worked with clones
that originated in Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, as well as an Entav clone that
contributes bright berry and floral notes to the earth, meat and savory spices
brought by the northern Rhône plant material. The idea
proved to be a sound one, and all four parcels planted were used to make the IX
Estate Syrah from the beginning, although one block was ultimately determined
not to be at the same level of quality and was replanted with better Syrah
material after the 2011 harvest.

Syrah in Napa Valley is always a tricky
commercial proposition. One reason is that, as Syrah bottlings vary so widely
in style in California, consumers often have little idea what to expect from a
particular version, so it can be challenging for producers to sell significant
quantities of a given Syrah. Then, too, inexpensive bottlings of Syrah, which
are rare, tend to be rather generic in style. But even the priciest and most distinctive
versions often represent a financial sacrifice for an estate, as the sites that
can produce high-quality Syrah could in most cases be used to grow Cabernet
Sauvignon, which generally commands a considerably higher price in the
marketplace. In fact, Colgin’s Syrah has always been considerably less
expensive than their Cabernet-based wines - but don’t feel sorry for the
winery. The current vintage of their Syrah retails for $250 a bottle (vs. $450
for the Cabernets), making it the most expensive Syrah in America. In this
case, you get what you pay for.

An
Overnight Success

From the start, the Colgin version has been one
of California’s most dramatic Syrahs: a flamboyantly ripe, head-spinning rich
wine with deep dark berry fruit flavors complicated by iron-like minerality,
earth and animal tones, wild herbs and sage. Yes, it displays glorious California
mountain fruit intensity and high octane levels but its soil-driven
complexity—its notes of gunflint, violet, pepper, olive, meat and herbs—give it
a distinctly Old World aspect and leaven its New World sweetness. The maiden
release, the 2002, was shockingly impressive for a Syrah from two-year-old
vines, but it must be emphasized that even today the Colgin Syrah comes from
relatively young vines—particularly by northern Rhône standards. Still, noted
Colgin, the increasing vine age and deeper root systems have in recent vintages
brought even darker color and “inkier,” stronger raw material and the vines
have reached a better balance. It’s already incontestable that the site can
produce outstanding Syrah but the best is still to come.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1492523625733-Aerial+view+of+Colgin%27s+IX+Estate+on+Pritchard+Hill+copy+2.jpg">Aerial view of Colgin's IX Estate on Pritchard Hill&nbsp; 

Colgin’s IX Estate, planted at the top of Pritchard Hill at an altitude
stretching from 1,150 to 1,350 feet above sea level, faces eastward, an
exposure that protects the vines against the hottest afternoon sun and
preserves flavor intensity and aromatics. Peak daytime temperatures at this
altitude are typically about eight degrees cooler than on the valley floor. The weathered volcanic soil of IX Estate features fast-draining
gravel, rocks and boulders, as well as iron-rich clay that allows for some
moisture retention. The ruggedness of the site makes the Syrah a powerful,
intense, tannic wine. Although its alcohol level is typically around 15%, Chief
Operating Officer Paul Roberts, MS, noted that the fruit is harvested “just
under perfectly ripe—in other words, still crunchy.” Vine yields are normally
between 2-1/2 and 3 tons per acre, and total annual production has typically
been between 350 and 450 cases but has been lower in recent years owing to a short
crop in 2011 and to the replanting that took place after the ’11 vintage (the
wine from these replanted vines may make the cut to be included in the 2016
blend).

On the subject of Syrah and Cabernet, by the
way, Colgin noted that the actual quantity of tannins in her Syrah is roughly
equal to that of her IX Estate red blend, which goes a long way to explaining
why none of the vintages made to date is past its peak. (According to winemaker
Allison Tauziet, this is unusual for Syrah in California, and she credits the
strong anti-oxidant properties of this tannic content for the color intensity
and longevity of the wines.) Although the earlier Syrah vintages are in
their windows of peak drinkability, they all still have life ahead of them—and
more recent vintages, thanks to the greater depth provided by vines that are
now well into their teen years, appear capable of a 20+ year evolution in
bottle.

The Vinification and the Wines

Mark Aubert was the winemaker
at Colgin Cellars at the beginning of the Syrah project and made the 2002
through 2006 vintages. Tauziet took over in 2007. Both had previously served
apprenticeships at Colgin as assistant winemakers. Consultant Dr. Alain Raynaud, who has owned several properties in
Pomerol and St.-Émilion, has played an active
role in blending the Colgin Cellars wines since 2001.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1492523653856-wide+zoom+copy.png">Colgin's IX Estate as seen in the Vinous Map: The Vineyards of Napa Valley, Pritchard Hill, by Antonio Galloni and Alessandro MasnaghettiThe estate has typically picked its Syrah from mid- to late September (mid-September
has been the practice more recently). Tauziet generally begins by carrying out
a short cold soak lasting no more than four days. The fruit here has always been
destemmed; Tauziet believes that vinifying with stems would give the wines an
element of rusticity and distract from their fruit. For extraction, Colgin
Cellars has traditionally relied on pumpovers, but Tauziet has introduced some
punchdowns in recent vintages, particularly with specific blocks that she feels
produce fruit with “more extractable skins that have more to give.” The early
vintages were aged in about 50% new oak but from roughly 2004 through 2010 the
Syrah was aged in 100% new barrels. Since 2011, Tauziet has brought that
percentage down to about 75% - “or whatever percentage feels like it will promote
the best fruit aromatics while ensuring evolution of the wines and good support
of their tannic structure.” She added, “Once-used wood tends to preserve fruit
aromas but it also prevents evolution of the tannins.&nbsp;These wines have
such good structure that they need to evolve in barrel to carry finesse, so
they are really best suited to new oak.&nbsp;It’s always a question of
balance.”

The IX Estate Syrah, in theory at least, is racked only once, a couple
months prior to being bottled early in its second summer, without fining or
filtration. Finished alcohol levels are typically around 15%, although the great
2004 exceeded 16% and the 2008 also reached that threshold. The pHs have been
in a fairly narrow range, between 3.85 and 3.95 following slight acid
adjustments in the fermenter. Total acidity levels have ranged from 5.8 grams
per liter to 6.2.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1492523796802-Vertical+tasting+of+the+Colgin+Cellars+Syrah+IX+Estate+copy+2.jpg">I tasted the full range of vintages at IX Estate in early March with
Colgin, Tauziet and Roberts.<a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/wines?sort%5Bdirection%5D=desc&amp;sort%5Bname%5D=vintage&amp;wf_dirty=false&amp;wf_export_fields=&amp;wf_export_format=&amp;wf_id=&amp;wf_match=all&amp;wf_model=Wine&amp;wf_name=&amp;wf_order=vintage&amp;wf_order_type=desc&amp;wf_page=1&amp;wf_per_page=25&amp;wf_submitted=true&amp;wf_type=WillFilter%3A%3AFilter&amp;wine_filter%5Barticle_id%5D=1621">See All the Wines from Youngest to Oldest</a>

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