Colgin Herb Lamb Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1994
-
Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Tasting Notes: Plums, spice, toasty oak and cedar aromas give way to seamless, rich, layered fruit. Long, fine and very concentrated.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
What is so remarkable about the 1994 and 1995 offerings is that they are aged in 100% new French oak, yet the wood's influence is extremely subtle. In addition to their power, richness, and fullness, another hallmark of the Colgin wines is the vibrant blueberry, boysenberry, cassis character that roars from the glass.
The potentially perfect 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon is a totally dry wine, but the sweetness and taste of this wine's fruit is akin to a savory blend of a chocolate-covered, blueberry/cassis-filled candy bar and vanilla ice cream melting in the mouth. This full-bodied wine is silky, seductive, opulent, voluptuously-textured, and extraordinarily fragrant, expansive, and rich. In spite of this, the wine remains graceful and well-balanced, without any sense of heaviness, or obtrusive tannin or acidity. I clearly underrated the 1994 from my earliest barrel tastings, but the last two times I have had it, from barrel immediately prior to bottling and in bottle, have persuaded me that this wine is one of the most exciting and remarkable young Cabernet Sauvignons I have tasted! It should drink well for another 25-30 years. Damn, I adore this wine!
Other Vintages
2007-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
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.