2002 Syrah IX Estate

Who knew that an isolated spot in the eastern hills above St. Helena, in an area best known for Cabernet Sauvignon, would produce one of America’s most consistently spectacular Syrah bottlings? Apparently, Ann Colgin did.

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.

"The longer the 2003s stayed in the tank, the sweeter they got," noted winemaker Mark Aubert."The phenolic material was there in the first place but the wines just kept getting better and better, not to mention darker."Total maceration times for the outsized cabernet-based wines of Ann Colgin and Joe Wender are now between 50 and 60 days.As of the beginning of March, the young 2003s had not yet been racked, and Aubert anticipated racking them only in preparation for the bottling, as he did with the 2002s.My early look at the 2003s suggests that they will be more tannic and oaky than the 2002s, but it's entirely possible that some of their woodiness will be absorbed during their final months of elevage.Aubert noted that the 2002s possess a somewhat cooler fruit character and show less evidence of surmaturite than the 2003s despite their thoroughly ripe tannins.These are some of California's richest and most massive red wines.

Ann Colgin and husband Joe Wender purchased this property from the David Arthur family on a hilltop above Lake Hennessey in 1998 and planted syrah and Bordeaux red varieties in 2000.Winemaker Mark Aubert describes the soil as "thin and austere, about 60% rocks."Barrel tastings of the 2002 wines from these vines suggest that this site will be the source of great wines from the outset. The Colgin reds have very high alcohol and high pHs-in the neighborhood of 4.0 for the 2001s and 2002s. They should be knockouts in their youth but should also age well based on their huge concentration and tannin levels. (I suspect, however, that many Colgin wanabees without the requisite extract and tannic support will lose their fruit and fall on their faces in a much shorter time frame, especially where cellar temperatures are not sufficiently low and care is not paid to sulfur levels at bottling.)The Colgin 2001s remained on their skins for 40 to 50 days, and the 2002s for 55 days, with a total of about 30 pumpovers per vat. These wines are some of the North Coast's most flamboyantly rich examples.