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Crushed stone, berry and lead pencil. Flintlock and iodine, too. Full-bodied, very tight and focused with incredible depth and intensity. Sculpted and intense. Incredible. Silky and tight tannins. Great finish. Reminds me of the 1978 La Chapelle. This needs three or four years to come together.James Suckling | 100 JSSporting a deep garnet-purple color, the 2019 IX Syrah Estate hops up and down with its showy, flamboyant scents of chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries and preserved plums, before bursting into a gorgeous perfume of bouquet garni, candied violets, tar and roses, followed by unsmoked cigars with a waft of Sichuan pepper. The generous, full-bodied palate offers beautifully rounded, pebble-like tannins with invigorating freshness and so many fragrant layers that linger with edifying persistence. An absolute diva of a wine!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPLastly, Colgin only makes a tiny amount of Syrah, but it’s consistently one of the greatest expressions of the variety in California, as well as the world. Their 2019 Syrah delivers the goods and brings a Côte Rôtie-like opulence and elegance as well as full-bodied aromas and flavors of blueberries, violets, smoke game, bouquet garni, and spring flowers. Pure, seamless, and perfectly balanced, you can safely put this up with anything out there. Enjoy bottles over the coming 15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2019 Syrah IX Estate is deep, plush and super-expressive. The Colgin Syrah is so unique, as it is much a wine of place as it is a varietal Syrah. Huge fruit and captivating aromatics make a strong opening statement. All the elements simply fall into place. In 2019, the Syrah is simply exceptional. All that said, readers need to cellar the 2019 for at least a few years, as today the fruit remains very front and center, and true Syrah notes have not yet started to emerge.Vinous Media | 97 VMPotent and polished, with deeply structured blueberry, smoked meat, licorice and fruitcake spice flavors that gather richness and tension toward broad-shouldered tannins. To be released November 2022. Drink now through 2032. 400 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSSyrah thrives in the coolest spots on Pritchard Hill, and after harvest is vinified in open-top fermenters. There’s an exotic, floral character on the lush nose. Broad and concentrated, it has ample tannins that are cut by the acidity that gives drive and lift. Although spicy and tangy, it lacks a little depth and complexity, and the finish is firm and chunky.Decanter | 93 DEC

A blend of 89% Syrah, 9% Mourvèdre, and 2% Viognier, the 2020 No 9 was 50% destemmed and will see 22 months in 65% new French oak. Full-bodied and powerful, with lots of chocolaty black fruits, ground pepper, and assorted meatiness, it hits the palate with a ripe, lush texture, solid tannins, and a great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDThe 2020 No. 9, still in barrel, is a blend of 89% Syrah, 9% Mourvèdre and 2% Viognier, made with 50% whole clusters. Fruit comes from several vineyards throughout the Central Coast including Slide Hill, White Hawk, Larner, Harrison-Clarke, Kimsey and Alta Mesa. It will mature for 22 months in 65% new and 35% used French barriques. Opaque ruby-purple in color, it features aromas of black olives, ground coffee, turned earth and forest floor, before unfolding to pure blueberry liqueur, cassis, licorice and violet—what alluring aromas! Full-bodied, the palate is grainy and seamless, with concentrated, floral fruits and a very long, nuanced finish. Around 850 cases and a few magnums of this powerful Syrah will be made. It will be sold as part of a three-bottle set ($330), while magnums will be sold as a box set with the 2020 Andremily Mourvèdre.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPThe 2020 Andremily No. 9 is a dense, full-throttle wine. Inky, black fruit, blackberry jam, espresso, mocha, licorice and spice blast across the palate. There’s not a ton of subtlety here. It will be interesting to see if this heady, potent Syrah develops over the next year.Vinous Media | 93-95 VM

Blackberry and white pepper with black tobacco and hints of iron, terra cotta and mushrooms. Medium- to full-bodied with a solid core of tannins and earthy, spicy, meaty and chocolaty undertones. Very complex and layered with a tightly wound ball of cashmere. It’s so textural, plush and gorgeous. Drinkable but better in three or four years,James Suckling | 100 JSDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 IX Estate Syrah is a jaw-dropper from first sniff! Violets, forest floor, and fragrant dried leaves notes leap from the glass, leading to a core of juicy plums, fresh blackberries, and blueberries. The full-bodied palate is tight-knit and intense with rounded tannins and beautifully knit freshness, finishing long and spicy.The Wine Independent | 99 TWIAll destemmed and aged in Burgundy pièces from the likes of Damy, François Frères and Ermitage, the 2021 Syrah IX Estate boasts considerable floral and herbal nuances on the nose, along with something akin to rust, corroded iron or blood and layers of black cherry and plum fruit. Full-bodied, rich and velvety in texture, it lacks the finesse and elegance of the 2018, but it pales only in comparison to that beauty, finishing long, with echoes of espresso, licorice and peppery spice.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2021 Syrah is another incredible Syrah here and I d put it up against any Syrah out there. Inky-hued with a La Landonne-like nose of ripe black and blue fruits, smoked game, chocolate, and graphite, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a dense, powerful, compact mouthfeel, building tannins, and a great finish. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following decade or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDThe 2021 Syrah IX Estate impresses with its fruit purity and freshness. Bright red-toned fruit, blood orange, cinnamon and dried herbs are beautifully articulated in this vibrant, mid-weight Syrah. There’s a bit of new oak today, but that will subside over time. This is an exceptionally beautiful vintage for the Syrah, a wine that is as much a wine of IX Estate as it is of varietal character. Seamless, polished tannins wrap up the finish.Vinous Media | 97 VMHandsomely structured and elegantly dynamic, with rich flavors of blackberry, fruitcake spices, mocha espresso and savory pepper that build richness and tension toward big but polished tannins. Drink now through 2033. 566 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS