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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. Beginning with the saturated dark color and brilliant clarity, one can see that 1999 was a very ripe and complex vintage in Napa Valley.
The 1999 vintage of Colgin " Herb Lamb Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon is the smallest to date. A selective replanting process instigated by vineyard owner Herb Lamb coupled with meticulous sorting of the fruit yielded an extremely limited production from this vintage. A moderate growing season, coupled with a low yield produced a level of ripeness revealed in the 14.8% alcohol and high level of saturated black color. Elements of high-tone black skinned fruits intermingle with an essence of fresh earth and even a hint of white pepper, tobac and exotic spices. This cuvee was aged for 26 months in 100% new Taransaud barrels, thus elevating the bouquet to the signature Colgin level of complexity. Bottled unfined and unfiltered in late November 2001, we think that with a careful bottle aging regime this wine will continue to age and build complexity for at least two decades.
We released 200 cases of 1999 Colgin " Herb Lamb Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon in November 2002. Release price $165.