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Wine Description
The Story
Ann Colgin’s wines stand out as one of the most refined styles of wines produced in Napa Valley. They show distinctive purity of the ripe black fruits, refined tannin structure and extremely elegant flavor profiles. This wine makes no exception. The hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon from the Herb Lamb Vineyard, has been the hallmark wine of Colgin Cellars from its debut in 1992.
In early 1990s, Ann made a long-term contract with the vineyard owners, Jennifer and Herb Lamb, that she had an exclusive access
to the top vine rows of this small, 7.4 acre, vineyard lying on an elevation of 600 to 800 feet on well-drained rocky soils of St Helena.
In hands of the legendary Napa Valley winemaker Helen Turley, who was winemaker for Colgin Cellars 1992-1999,these terroir-driven grapes were transformed into a wine that
caught the eye of the powerful critics and Colgin’s fame as one of the top-rated producers was written.
“Our winemaking philosophy has always been to express the true character of each unique vineyard site”, Ann Colgin explains.
The grapes are harvested during the night and go through three sortings,starting in the vineyards. The final sort takes place in the
winery, where 15 people will do the final grape by grape sorting before crushing the grapes. Moving the grapes, juice or wine is
done by gravity. The barrels, tanks and vinification equipment,along with the basket presses, are of the highest quality. Only the
finest neo-classical winemaking methods are used in concert with small yields, gentle handling, attentive sorting and meticulous
blending to capture the distinctive terroir characteristics of each Colgin wine.
We blend talent with terroir, tradition with technology and passion with precision to create wines with distinctive personalities
and a profound sense of place.” Ann Colgin sums up.
While the Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon was for a long time thebenchmark wine of Colgin, the saga came to an end in 2007,which was the final vintage Colgin made this hailed wine. The declining health of the twenty-year-old vineyard made it difficult to continue to maintain the high quality level displayed in all of the other Colgin wines.
Wine Information
Aromas of ripe, dense, black fruits coupled with a strong blueberry essence and floral notes showcase the wonderful terroir of the Herb Lamb Vineyard.
Winemaker notes from Mark Aubert:
"Proving once again that the Herb Lamb Vineyard site has something magical in the soils, we celebrate the twelfth vintage of this Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard has a unique northeast facing aspect which generally results in sunlight on the steep slopes from sunrise to early afternoon. In 2003 this was the last fruit we brought into our state-of-the-art winery and the long hang time resulted in a unique aromatic profile. The wine is deeply pitched red with a black center. With vibrant clarity and aromatics of black cherries and raspberries leading to earthy, terroir driven notes the profile moves to exotic spices and cured meats. The mouth feel is pure richness framed by ripe, supple tannins and a fine acid structure. As with all the wines from Colgin Cellars the Herb Lamb Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was bottled without fining or filtration. The 2003 vintage will have early appeal to some with its density of color and rich textures and to the collector who wishes for continued development with its age worthy tannins and good structure. "
We released 210 cases of the 2003 "Herb Lamb Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon in November 2006. Release price $225.
