Community Tasting Notes 16

• LBDWine wrote:

  February 16, 2024 - KIS See ML

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• Hppr Cellar Likes this wine: 100 points

  December 31, 2023 - It’s time for another New Year’s eve review. This year we had a slate of heavy hitters – cabs, cab blends and even a merlot based right bank – of vintages ranging from 2009 to 2016. The only common feature was that all of the wines had received at least two 100 point scores from some reputable critic and in some cases three or four (to be fair, we could only find one 100 point score for the Wraith, but one of our party swore they had seen another 100 point review so we let it in). I am posting the same review for all 5 wines but scoring each wine separately. And to be frank, these were all stunning wines – to think that our little group of hodunk wine sippers could really distinguish among greatness like this would be a bit arrogant – this is just for fun and none of us really know what we are doing, which is probably evident based on the quality of this review. With all of those caveats, here we go. Oh, for those who care about things like this, all wines were decanted 2 hours in advance and served at about 60 degrees F in zalto crystal.
  1. Colgin IX Estate (2016) – 100pts - this was the wine of the night by a 3-1 vote. It was drinking perfectly, super well-balanced with the fruit not too strong and an incredible finish. Now we also drank it after the other 4 were gone. Could that have something to do with it? Hmm, regardless, this wine was gorgeous and we all truly enjoyed the experience of perfection in a glass.
  2. Hundred Acre Wraith (2013) – 100pts – one of the very best napa cabs we have ever had. It was really tossing a coin between this and the Colgin. This wine was so well-structured yet smooth, smooth, smooth. And layer upon layer of flavors and textures. Cherry fruits, fine tannins,, super complex – this one has it all. What an achievement (if you can’t tell by now, I was the one who chose this over the Colgin for wine of the night).
  3. Cheval Blanc (2009) – 99pts – the only merlot based wine of the night, the group was a little split on whether this or the PC should be #3. More dark berry than red with silky smooth tannins and a very complex long lasting finish with the cab franc giving it a hint of spice – this wine is drinking really well right now – not too early to drink but you can tell it has a lot of future potential as well. Wonderful, wonderful wine.
  4. Pontet-Canet (2009) – 99pts – really a tie for third with the CB. What else can be said about this fantastic wine that has not already been stated? So supple, precise and pure. This wine truly punches above its weight and is neck and neck with wines costing 2-4x more than it. Its so sophisticated but also so approachable always making it a crowd favorite. Drinking well right now so no reason to wait if you have a bottle.
  5. Kapcsandy Grand Vin (2016) – 97pts – probably by itself this would have been 99 pts, but when having to compete against the above it was just a tiny bit lacking. It probably could use another 2-3 years, and perhaps the 2013 would have been a fairer pick for this competition but we drank our last one a year ago. With that said, this is still a stupendous wine we all truly loved and had perhaps the best nose of the night with a ton of complexity and spice.
  Until next NYE! Cheers!

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• csimm wrote: 95 points

  June 1, 2023 - 2016 Napa Cults Blind - and a few Champs and such for fun: Compared to wine before it in the lineup (which was a red-“fruited” [mostly tannic] Abreu Thorevilos), this was all about black fruit, bitter chocolate, and black minerality. Did I mention black? Though others referenced some red fruit, I really was caught up in the darker fruit. Blackberry seed and pine needle notes come to the party as well, with air turning this goth-monger into a more dance party performer…kind of. The mid-palate stays somewhat superficial however, with the dark profile lending its way to a bit of a sharp finale. As it warms in the glass, it actually get a little funky. I incorrectly guessed Eisele here, though this was behaving like a Colgin at least in the sense that the power and flavor expansion became beefier with air. Like with all of these 2016s, holding is recommended.

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• Cristal2000 Likes this wine:

  May 17, 2023 - This was a 2016 vintage blind of: Abreu Thorevilos, Colgin IX, MacDonald, Scarecrow, Bond St. Eden, Eisele, Futo Oakville, Colgin Tychson and Vice Versa M7. Each wine had a decant of approximately five hours before the first sip, except for MacDonald, which had around three, and the Futo, which I believe was PnP. There were nine tasters, including CSIMM1161, wine proprietors and a prominent winemaker.
  
  I’d really love to post notes on all these wines, but unfortunately time is scarce, and I don’t think I would be able to get to it anytime soon. I am sure CSIMM will post a ton on each, so that should fill the gap. Instead, I am going to give the broad strokes here.
  
  The first thing to note is all these wines could have used more air, especially the MacDonald. We shorted it in the tasting, and I think there was an impact on how it showed. The other thing that could have impacted how the wines showed is bottle shock. Most of these bottles were packed onto an airplane a couple days prior. While I didn’t note any overtly off bottles, there is no doubt it could have played a role.
  
  I know a lot of folks that hate blinds. It can really test your palate, and crowing a winner means the other great bottles must “lose”. If you haven’t done it before, it can also wear you down and things can blend, so it does take a methodology and consistency to do it well. That said, all these wines were spectacular.
  
  While we didn’t have the group rank order them all, we did ask for a top 3. The consensus was 1. Magnificent 7 2. Futo and 3. Scarecrow. There were certainly others than received votes in the top 3, but overall, it was uniform across the group. Those top three were easily 99-100 pt wines, and the others were not far behind. A few comments on each (in no particular order outside the top 3):
  
  1. Magnificent 7: almost universally the #1 wine in the tasting, this had all the elements of perfection. Suave and powerful, with super refined tannins, excellent purity, unreal depth, and a finish for days. Nothing harsh and pure class without any element out of balance.
  
  2. Futo: super focused wine with precision, this wrapped power and grace into a regal package. Showed dark chocolate and powerful fruit intensity backed up by impressive levels of freshness and acidity. Simply outstanding.
  
  3. Scarecrow: the most opulent, plush, and sexy wine of the bunch. While some of the other wines were trying to get all the pieces to fit together, this one was complete on every level. Beautifully integrated with supple tannins and wonderful energy and balance.
  
  4. Colgin IX: the only mountain/hillside wine of the bunch. This wine really progressed over the course of the tasting to the point where it was gaining on the leaders. Lovely red soil profile with deep mineral driven flavors, the mid palate began expanding over time and produced a complex, powerful yet refined wine with fantastic length.
  
  5. MacDonald: this was one of the wines that was a bit discombobulated, and I attribute that mostly to lack of decant time. It showed more spice and woodsy character than usual and was a little rough around the edges despite clearly having the class, pedigree, and overall intensity to be amongst the best wines in Napa.
  
  6. Colgin Tychson: this had a soft, supple entry with opulent fruit and gorgeous floral notes. The mid palate stayed tight throughout, and it never really blossomed into what I am sure will be an epic wine. I love this bottling, and this is going to be spectacular with a bit more time.
  
  7. Eisele: another wine here that needed more time to unfurl. This showed possibly the best complexity of the bunch, both on the nose and in the glass. It had all the hallmark savory character, but the fruit was wound up tight and there was a bit of oak obscuring things. I’ve had this when its blown my mind, just needs more air or more time.
  
  8. Abreu Thorevilos: the most disappointing wine for me in this tasting. I was expecting it to vie for top honors and it couldn’t get out of its own way. It was super unresolved and reductive, with oak and tannin obscuring most everything. This is a fabulous vineyard and winemaker, so I am sure it will come around, and part of me wants to attribute this showing to bottle shock.
  
  9. Bond St Eden: another wine that was within striking distance of the leaders. Rich, textured, beautiful and still grippy, it showed a ton of class with hallmark red earth notes and killer concentration and length.

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• msuwine wrote: 94 points

  May 6, 2023 - This dense and primary mountain Cabernet still needs another few years in order to soften and integrate. It's tasty and complex - almost too much so at the moment - but it's too young to open right now. The Colgin was all elbows and potential, especially in comparison to a more seamless and integrated 2014 Harlan Maiden tasted on the same night.
  
  Purplish black in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of blackcurrant, espresso, and pencil lead. Flavors of boysenberry, coffee bean (more dark roast than light), and gravel, with a grainy and tannic finish. 15.2% alcohol. 94 at the moment, but this has three-digit potential at the 10-year mark. Give it (a lot of) time.

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Pro Reviews 8

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2016
• Type Red
• Producer Colgin
• Varietal Red Bordeaux Blend
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard IX Estate
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Napa Valley
• Appellation Napa Valley
• UPC Code 790559003149

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 83 (2%)
• In Cellars 3,483 (86%)
• Consumed 469 (12%)

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