Colgin - IX Estate Proprietary Red 2011

ANTONIO GALLONI: "(66% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 7% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot): Bright ruby-red. Wonderfully scented nose offers dark currant, black olive, licorice, smoke, caramel oak and shoe polish, all lifted by an exhilarating note of tangerine oil. Sappy, sweet and smooth, showing compelling mineral and floral lift to the intense dark berry flavors. Again, this is not a powerhouse but its penetration and lift are remarkable. Ultimately plusher than the Tychson Hill example and more minerally too. Still a baby."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Aromas of spices, sage, bay leaf and pepper. Medium to full body with juicy tannins and a tangy, orange peel finish. It's balanced and pretty. So drinkable now. Mostly cabernet with merlot, franc and petit verdot."

WINEADVOCATE: "The 2011 IX Estate (66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot) possesses surprising density and richness (then again, it-s from a hillside vineyard that was above the fog line in 2011), impressive purity, lots of red, blue and black fruits, and not a trace of herbaceousness. The oak is nicely integrated in this soft, round, generously endowed effort. It should drink nicely for a decade or more."

WINESPECTATOR: "Complex fresh earth, dark berry, spice and cedar aromatics unfold on the palate, with a bright display of currant and blackberry flavors, folding into dusty, cedary underbrush notes. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2022. 970 cases made. — JL"