Colgin Cellars

Ann Colgin, founder of Colgin Cellars, spent the first chapter of her career in the art auction world in New York before becoming the Director of Sotheby's West Coast Wine Department in the 1990s. In 1988, Ann attended the Napa Valley Wine Auction, igniting a fascination with the flourishing region. Colgin Cellars was founded by Ann Colgin in 1992. The debut release of Colgin garnered significant acclaim, securing a 96-point rating from Robert Parker and thrusting the estate into prominence. Their philosophy of terroir is to capture the spirit of unique geographical and geological sites from vineyards that are entirely hillside planted on north or east facing slopes, helping them best express the freshness of fruit, the perfume and floral nuances of varieties, as well as the mineralities from the soil itself.

• Ann Colgin earned degrees from Vanderbilt University and New York University; built a career in fine art at Christie's and then Sotheby's before entering wine
• Co-founded Colgin Cellars in 1992 with Fred Schrader; the two later separated and Schrader went on to found Schrader Cellars
• First vintage (1992 Herb Lamb) sourced from 13 rows of the Herb Lamb vineyard in the foothills of Howell Mountain AVA
• Philosophy centers on mid-slope hillside sites, precision farming, and wines of perfume, freshness, and minerality

Colgin Cellars has received the coveted rating of 100 points from The Wine Advocate for 21 wines since its founding in 1992. In 2005, Robert Parker named Colgin Cellars 'One of the Fifty Greatest Wine Estates in the World,' cementing its reputation as a benchmark for Napa Valley excellence. Robert Parker has given 12 different Colgin wines perfect scores since 2002, and his colleague Lisa Perrotti-Brown gave the 2015 Colgin Red IX Estate and the 2015 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard 100 points. The Napa Valley winery sells fewer than 2,800 cases of wine per year to a handful of upscale restaurants and 8,000 members on its selective mailing list.

• 21 perfect 100-point scores from The Wine Advocate in total; Robert Parker personally awarded 12 of those perfect scores
• Named 'One of the Fifty Greatest Wine Estates in the World' by Robert Parker in 2005
• 2015 Tychson Hill and 2015 IX Estate Red both received 100 points from Lisa Perrotti-Brown of Wine Advocate
• Fewer than 2,800 cases produced annually; wines allocated through a mailing list of approximately 8,000 members and select high-end restaurants

Colgin Cellars owns two vineyards, Tychson Hill in St. Helena and IX Estate on Vaca Hill (the Pritchard Hill area), and is in a long-term lease with the Cariad Vineyard, also in St. Helena. Tychson Hill was purchased in 1996, with origins dating back to 1860; owned and farmed by Josephine Tychson in the 1880s, the first woman to build a winery in Napa Valley, it was replanted with heritage clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, is currently planted with 6 acres, and produced its first vintage in 2000. IX Estate comprises a 125-acre parcel purchased in 1998 in the Pritchard Hill area overlooking Lake Hennessey; 20 acres were developed as vineyard, and in 2002, the first vintages of IX Estate Red and IX Estate Syrah were produced. With the help of vineyard manager David Abreu, 20 acres of vines were ultimately planted at IX Estate, including 16 acres to red Bordeaux varieties and 4 acres to Syrah.

• Tychson Hill (6 acres): Volcanic Aiken Very Stony Loam soil north of St. Helena; heritage Cabernet Sauvignon clones; first vintage 2000
• IX Estate (20 planted acres of 125 total): Pritchard Hill, at approximately 1,150 to 1,350 feet elevation; volcanic soils; Bordeaux varieties and Syrah; winery completed 2002
• Cariad vineyard (leased): David Abreu's Madrona Ranch in St. Helena; volcanic and gravelly soils; Cabernet Sauvignon-based Bordeaux blend; first vintage 1999
• All vineyards are hillside-planted on north or east-facing slopes to maximize freshness, perfume, and mineral expression

In its inception, Ann Colgin enlisted winemaker Helen Turley and vineyard manager David Abreu to spearhead Colgin Cellars' development. Helen Turley's role was succeeded by her assistant Mark Aubert, who assumed responsibility for all winemaking operations from 1998 to 2006; in 2006, Aubert passed the torch to Allison Tauziet, who continues to oversee all winemaking duties. Allison joined Colgin Cellars in 2005 as Assistant Winemaker and was promoted to Winemaker in 2007, and Director of Winemaking in 2018. The wines are all aged in 100% new oak barrels from Taransaud, in the Cognac region of France. The wines are aged in 100% new French oak barrels for roughly two years and then sent for bottling with minimal racking.

• Three winemakers in over 30 years: Helen Turley (1992 to 1998), Mark Aubert (1998 to 2006), Allison Tauziet (2007 to present; Director of Winemaking from 2018)
• Vineyard manager David Abreu has managed all Colgin vineyard sites from the beginning
• Each parcel and variety vinified separately; gravity-fed winery completed 2002 at the northern end of IX Estate on Pritchard Hill
• Aged approximately 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels from Taransaud cooperage; minimal racking prior to bottling

Colgin Cellars' reputation is rooted in the quality of its four wines: 'Tychson Hill' Cabernet Sauvignon, 'Cariad' Napa Valley Red, 'IX Estate' Napa Valley Red, and 'IX Estate' Syrah. Tychson Hill vineyard is the exclusive source of a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon expression, while the IX Estate vineyard also produces a pure Syrah. Ann Colgin has named the 2002 Tychson Hill as her favorite wine and vintage from Colgin Cellars, saying 'it was our first 100-point wine and from the first vineyard I planted on my own property.' A 100-point rating from Robert Parker is a testament to the quality of the 2018 IX Estate Red.

• 2002 Tychson Hill Cabernet Sauvignon: Colgin's first 100-point wine from Robert Parker; Ann Colgin's personally named favorite vintage
• IX Estate Red: Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot; 100-point scores in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2018 vintages
• IX Estate Syrah: Two-block Syrah from the coolest parts of Pritchard Hill; clonally linked to Cote-Rotie and Hermitage in the Northern Rhone
• Cariad: Named for the Welsh word for love; sourced from David Abreu's Madrona Ranch; a structured Bordeaux-style blend first produced in 1999

Colgin owners Ann Colgin and her husband Joe Wender agreed to sell 60% of their Napa Valley winery to LVMH; the deal includes the brand, the winery, and its 26 acres of vineyards. Under the terms of the agreement, Ann Colgin and Joe Wender continue to hold 40% equity in the business and maintain their leadership functions. A pivotal factor in the decision was LVMH's formation of Vins d'Exception, a showcase for wines of extraordinary character; Colgin stands alongside Clos des Lambrays, Château Cheval Blanc, and Château d'Yquem as the only California winery in this collection. The wines are sold primarily through an exclusive client list and also distributed to high-end restaurants and retailers in the US and over thirty countries globally.

• November 2017: LVMH acquired 60% stake in Colgin Cellars; Ann Colgin and Joe Wender retain 40% and continue leading the winery
• Day-to-day team unchanged: Ann Colgin, Joe Wender, COO Paul Roberts, and winemaker Allison Tauziet all remained in their roles
• Only American wine in LVMH's Vins d'Exception portfolio, which also includes Château Cheval Blanc, Château d'Yquem, and Domaine du Clos des Lambrays
• Distributed through an exclusive mailing list and to high-end restaurants and retailers in the US and more than 30 countries