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98 WA.
"The 2016 IX Syrah Estate is very deep purple-black colored with gorgeous blackberry preserves, preserved plums, chargrill and licorice with tar, mandarin peel, Sichuan pepper and violets plus a compelling peach blossom note and a waft of wild sage. The palate is full-bodied with fantastic finesse, so plush and light on its feet and very spicy on the long, long finish. '2016 is like 2013 with more character,' Colgin’s winemaker Allison Tauziet told me. 'It offers the harmony of 2013, but it has just a little more to say. In fact, it has some post-drought qualities—creating more flavor, more color and more stuffing. And it seems to have the texture of a riper vintage. I love the aromatics of a cooler season like this. It was the weather at the end of the season that drove everything home. The harvest was well-paced, although the flavors peaked simultaneously, so you couldn’t take it for granted.' Tauziet and the team at Colgin were 100% on their game in 2016, as were the 'grand cru' vineyard sites they bottle: Tychson Hill (in St. Helena), Cariad (a blend of David Abreu vineyards) and IX Estate (on Pritchard Hill). When the planets align so perfectly for the Cabernets in a vintage and the wines are this jaw-dropping, how else can you rate the results?" Wine Advocate Interim, Oct 2018 |