Above 21 bottles per lot
Details
Colgin, Cariad, Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
--Vintage 2000(6)
"My favorite 2000 here is the proprietary red, the 2000 Cariad, a 650-case blend of 55 Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 Merlot, 5 Cabernet Franc, and 5 Petit Verdot. This is Colgin's California version of St.-Emilion. All the fruit comes from David Abreu's Madrona Ranch except for the Petit Verdot, which comes from Thorevilos. The dense ruby/purple-colored 2000 Cariad offers up a flamboyant nose of creosote, tobacco leaf, roasted coffee, chocolate, smoke, and earthy black currant as well as blackberry fruit. With great complexity, a firm, structured, tannic underpinning, medium to full body, and dazzling purity, this terrific 2000 is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: now-2016." Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #150 (December 2003)
--Vintage 2001
In original wood case(6)
"Virtually perfect, the 2001 Cariad (420 cases) is a blend of 55 Cabernet Sauvignon, 31 Merlot, 7 Cabernet Franc, and 7 Petit Verdot. Mark Aubert told me there was an extended maceration of nearly 50 days because the tannin got sweeter and sweeter with each additional day after three weeks. This seamless offering possesses a saturated ruby/purple color as well as a smorgasbord of aromas, including Valrhona chocolate, cigar tobacco, blackberries, black currants, licorice, incense, and espresso. Sweet on the entry, with a voluptuous mid-palate, and a spectacular finish with the tannin hardly noticeable, this is a proprietary red of extraordinary quality and singularity. As it sat in the glass, additional nuances continued to develop, and the wine seemed to swell and become even richer with each sip. I'm not sure it doesn't deserve a three-digit score. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2028." Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #150 (December 2003)
--Vintage 2002
In original wooden case(6)
"A proprietary blend of 58 Cabernet Sauvignon, 28 Merlot, and the balance equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2002 Cariad (520 cases) is fashioned from the Madrona Ranch and Thorevilos vineyards. A California hybrid version of a big, rich St.-Emilion/Graves blend, it reveals a Bordeaux-like structure along with loads of tannin as well as a certain tightness. Extraordinarily elegant, exotic notes of orange rind, ground pepper, incense, and Indian spices are intermixed with chocolate and blackberry currant characteristics in a seamless, full-bodied style that coats the palate without any sense of heaviness. As it sits in the glass, meaty, bay leaf, smoked Peking duck, and new saddle leather characteristics also emerge. This singular red can be drunk early in life, or aged for two decades or more." Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #157 (February 2005)
--Vintage 2003(3)
"The proprietary blend from David Abreu's Thorevilos and Madrona Ranch vineyards, the 2003 Cariad (520 cases), is made from 50 Cabernet Sauvignon, 36 Merlot, and the rest primarily Petit Verdot with a touch of Cabernet Franc. This harmonious offering reveals an inky/blue/purple color in addition to sumptuous aromas of new saddle leather, scorched earth, blackberries, cassis, smoke, licorice, and roasted meats. While it suggests a right bank Bordeaux (such as a top-notch St.-Emilion), it is clearly Californian in its ripeness, richness, and overall purity. This beauty can be enjoyed over the next 20-25 years." Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #168 (December 2006)
Above 21 bottles per lot
Napa Valley
--Vintage 2000(6)
"My favorite 2000 here is the proprietary red, the 2000 Cariad, a 650-case blend of 55 Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 Merlot, 5 Cabernet Franc, and 5 Petit Verdot. This is Colgin's California version of St.-Emilion. All the fruit comes from David Abreu's Madrona Ranch except for the Petit Verdot, which comes from Thorevilos. The dense ruby/purple-colored 2000 Cariad offers up a flamboyant nose of creosote, tobacco leaf, roasted coffee, chocolate, smoke, and earthy black currant as well as blackberry fruit. With great complexity, a firm, structured, tannic underpinning, medium to full body, and dazzling purity, this terrific 2000 is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: now-2016." Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #150 (December 2003)
--Vintage 2001
In original wood case(6)
"Virtually perfect, the 2001 Cariad (420 cases) is a blend of 55 Cabernet Sauvignon, 31 Merlot, 7 Cabernet Franc, and 7 Petit Verdot. Mark Aubert told me there was an extended maceration of nearly 50 days because the tannin got sweeter and sweeter with each additional day after three weeks. This seamless offering possesses a saturated ruby/purple color as well as a smorgasbord of aromas, including Valrhona chocolate, cigar tobacco, blackberries, black currants, licorice, incense, and espresso. Sweet on the entry, with a voluptuous mid-palate, and a spectacular finish with the tannin hardly noticeable, this is a proprietary red of extraordinary quality and singularity. As it sat in the glass, additional nuances continued to develop, and the wine seemed to swell and become even richer with each sip. I'm not sure it doesn't deserve a three-digit score. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2028." Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #150 (December 2003)
--Vintage 2002
In original wooden case(6)
"A proprietary blend of 58 Cabernet Sauvignon, 28 Merlot, and the balance equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2002 Cariad (520 cases) is fashioned from the Madrona Ranch and Thorevilos vineyards. A California hybrid version of a big, rich St.-Emilion/Graves blend, it reveals a Bordeaux-like structure along with loads of tannin as well as a certain tightness. Extraordinarily elegant, exotic notes of orange rind, ground pepper, incense, and Indian spices are intermixed with chocolate and blackberry currant characteristics in a seamless, full-bodied style that coats the palate without any sense of heaviness. As it sits in the glass, meaty, bay leaf, smoked Peking duck, and new saddle leather characteristics also emerge. This singular red can be drunk early in life, or aged for two decades or more." Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #157 (February 2005)
--Vintage 2003(3)
"The proprietary blend from David Abreu's Thorevilos and Madrona Ranch vineyards, the 2003 Cariad (520 cases), is made from 50 Cabernet Sauvignon, 36 Merlot, and the rest primarily Petit Verdot with a touch of Cabernet Franc. This harmonious offering reveals an inky/blue/purple color in addition to sumptuous aromas of new saddle leather, scorched earth, blackberries, cassis, smoke, licorice, and roasted meats. While it suggests a right bank Bordeaux (such as a top-notch St.-Emilion), it is clearly Californian in its ripeness, richness, and overall purity. This beauty can be enjoyed over the next 20-25 years." Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #168 (December 2006)
Above 21 bottles per lot