Colgin Herb Lamb Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1992
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Colgin's debut wine is holding up remarkably well with aromas of plum, graphite, wet earth, dried currant and leather saddle. Wonderful integration of tannin's, good medium acid and a very long finish. Drink now through 2012. Service: Because of the delicate nose, serve straight from the bottle, with care to avoid stirring up the precipitates.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This wine slipped through the a blind tasting with everyone mistaking it for a sumptuous first-growth Bordeaux. When told the identity of the wine, one of the Belgian tasters quickly announced he was going to "order 100 cases." I was quick to point out that (1) the wine is already sold out, and (2) less than 1,000 cases were produced. I have always thought this was a terrific wine, but it was outrageously delicious in this blind tasting. The wine boasts an opaque purple color, followed by a gorgeously sweet nose of blueberries and blackberries intertwined with smoky, toasty oak. The enormously opulent texture, viscous richness, and huge quantities of sweet, pure fruit were deftly balanced by just enough acidity and ripe tannin. This full-bodied, awesomely-endowed wine has never shown better than it did in this blind tasting against some of the greatest wines produced in Bordeaux. Although soft enough to be drunk, it promises to evolve for at least 20 years.
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Wine Spectator
Dark, intense and compact, the focused black cherry and currant flavors giving a rich feel on the palate. A spicy anise finish brings out the supple tannins. An impressive debut, but this wine will only be available directly from the winery, or in restaurants.
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A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Today Cabernet Sauvignon is the star of this part of Napa’s rugged, eastern hills, but Zinfandel was responsible for giving the Howell Mountain growing area its original fame in the late 1800s.
Winemaking in Howell Mountain was abandoned during Prohibition, and wasn’t reawakened until the arrival of Randy Dunn, a talented winemaker famous for the success of Caymus in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early eighties, he set his sights on the Napa hills and subsequently astonished the wine world with a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Shortly thereafter Howell Mountain became officially recognized as the first sub-region of Napa Valley (1983).
With vineyards at 1,400 to 2,000 feet in elevation, they predominantly sit above the fog line but the days in Howell Mountain remain cooler than those in the heart of the valley, giving the grapes a bit more time on the vine.
The Howell Mountain AVA includes 1,000 acres of vineyards interspersed by forestlands in the Vaca Mountains. The soils, shallow and infertile with good drainage, are volcanic ash and red clay and produce highly concentrated berries with thick skins. The resulting wines are full of structure and potential to age.
Today Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah thrive in this sub-appellation, as well as its founding variety, Zinfandel.