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News
100 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Another perfect wine from Ann Colgin and her winemaking team is the 2013 IX Proprietary Red Estate, a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot. An absolutely compelling wine, with notes of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, blueberry, blackberry and cassis, it has the full smorgasbord of black and blue fruits, wonderfully integrated, toasty oak, acidity and tannin, a floral note that is unmistakable, and great richness, density and purity. It is an utterly exceptional wine and a tribute to not only a great vineyard, but impeccable winemaking and upbringing. (RP) (10/2015)
98 points James Suckling
The aromas to this are perfect with black truffle, sage, blueberry and wet earth. Changes all the time. Full body with lots of richness and fruit. The intensity is electric. Chewy tannins yet polished and silky. It lasts for minutes on the palate. A joy to taste (drink) now but it's made for long-term aging. (1/2016)
98 points Vinous
A magnificent, towering wine, the 2013 IX Estate, hits all the right notes. The interplay of opulent fruit, minerality, savory nuances and mountain tannin is utterly captivating. The most structured and backward of Colgin's Cabernet Sauvignon-based 2013s, the IX Estate is going to need a few years to fully come together, but it is stratospheric, even today. Lavender, sage, mint and a host of mineral-inflected notes meld into the deeply satisfying finish. I can't wait to see how this ages. (AG) (10/2015)
Wine Description
The Story
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, IX Estate Napa Valley Red is distinguished by complex fruit interplays, a luscious nose of rustic herbs, iron, clay and black fruits, huge layers of flavor and supple, sweet tannins impeccably well-balanced. The number IX refers to the parcel number and is also significant as the date Ann and Joe were married: 9/9. The 2002 vintage was the first, of four vintages, from this property to achieve the highest accolade of “a perfect wine”. Each year the blend displays extraordinary intensity, a beautiful purity, and a remarkably long finish. Approachable when young, it ages most gracefully
Wine Information
The 2013 "IX Estate" possesses all the aromas one can attain from this heralded vineyard, seemingly a hypothetical blend of our greatest vintages. This captivating wine seduces you with its concentration of flavors, but beneath the surface we find a wine brimming with nuance. With a nose of sweet floral blossoms and bouquet garni the wine envelops the senses. Vibrant notes of licorice, dark fruit and botanicals meld together with flavors of pure wet mineral and iron.
I love the way this vintage weaves its classic Cabernet Sauvignon crème de cassis and dark cherry flavors together with its terroir, like the intoxicating notes of sage oil and juniper. The opulence on the nose carries through onto the palate where it builds smooth, supple layers of tannin. The succulent and savory texture builds to a long, rich finish. Though the 2013 vintage is compelling upon release, the power, breadth and depth will most certainly age for a generation- if we let it. The 2013 "IX Estate" is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot.