Proprietary Blend Wines

wines

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 IX Estate needs a lot of shaking to wake up notes of warm cassis, boysenberries, and juicy plums, giving way to nuances of iron ore, wild sage, tapenade, and lilacs. The full-bodied palate is tightly wound with very firm, ripe, grainy tannins and wonderful freshness framing the dense black fruits, finishing on a lingering ferrous note.The Wine Independent | 100 TWIColgin’s 2021 IX Estate is a rich, opulent example, with layers of ripe black cherries and dark chocolate punctuated by hints of sage and bay leaf, plus some vaguely floral notes (violets?). Full-bodied, concentrated, velvety and long, it’s another terrific wine that showcases the potential of Pritchard Hill, the investment by the owners and the talent of the winemaking team.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPRed currant, lead pencil and terra cotta aromas with some bay leaf and sage. Full-bodied with tight, firm tannins that are polished and very fine. Turns to graphite. Extremely long, refined, polished and exquisite. Best after 2028.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2021 IX Estate is such an elegant wine. Sleek, aromatic and refined, the 2021 is one of the most polished young wines I have tasted from this site. Red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and mint abound. Silky and delineated, the 2021 is exceptionally beautiful and balanced. Clean saline notes and veins of tannin extend the explosive, sublime finish.Vinous Media | 98 VMThe 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+ JDThere’s some gorgeous flow to this red, with an overriding velvety feel to its crushed blackberry, açaí and loganberry fruit core, contrasted nicely by an underlying cast iron note. Alder, sage and sweet bay hints flicker seductively amid the fruit on the lengthy finish. Best from 2025 through 2045. 1,899 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Simply a wonderful wine, the 2021 Maya oozes class, with deep, complex aromas of violets and cassis, earthy loam and hints of tobacco and mint. It’s just medium to full-bodied, cool, silky and finessed. Supremely elegant but concentrated, just reined in, restrained. She’s the "perfect" girl, the one so special a younger me would be afraid to ask out. The current me is married, so... I’ll just sit here and drink it in. Readers should drink it in too. All of it, from the upfront fruit to the lingering, savory finish. While approachable now, this wine should continue to drink well for two decades or more.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPIt comes from the Maya blocks on the house’s southern side combined with Cabernet Franc that abuts the Peter Michael Au Paradis vineyard. A wonderfully dark, opaque ruby colour in the glass leads to fragrant boysenberry and kirsch notes, cedarwood, and rose petals. Full-bodied with super firm and structured tannins that have a pixelated density that would make the latest iPhone jealous. The finish is very long, and even for all the wine’s compactness and weight on the palate, there is a lightness to this wine that is striking. Maya Dalla Valle, the daughter of founder Naoko Dalla Valle, is the winemaker with Andy Erickson and Michel Rolland consulting, while Edgar Alfaro manages the vineyards.Decanter | 99 DECThe 2021 Maya, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. It sails out with graceful notes of violets, fresh blackberries, and blackcurrant pastilles giving way to wafts of pencil shavings and underbrush. The full-bodied palate is an exercise in elegance, with fine-grained tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and fragrant.The Wine Independent | 99 TWIThe 2021 Maya is young, but so promising. A wine of density and stature, the 2021 offers striking vertical depth, with bright acids and plenty of tannin. All the elements are so well balanced. Intense red fruit, blood orange, cinnamon, new leather and cedar all meld together, but it is the whole rather than the sum of parts that is most impressive here. A blast of vibrant fruit explodes through to the finish. Unforgettable.Vinous Media | 98+ VMThis gorgeous red is streamlined in feel, with the vivid boysenberry, mulberry and black currant fruit profile of the vintage, though in a slightly more reserved style, as a strong tobacco thread and cast iron spine keep its energy in reserve for now. There’s lovely tension through the finish, with a mouthwatering iris detail lingering amid the fruit and earth notes. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045. 800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe 2021 Maya Proprietary Red Wine is the usual blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from a single parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon and a selection of Cabernet Franc that will spend 24 months in 80% new French oak. It has a more floral, exotic style in its blue fruits, spring flowers, incense, and peppery herbal nose as well as a stunningly pure, elegant, polished, seamless style on the palate. It’s another magical wine in the making from this terroir.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-100 JDDeep, dark-fruited character with plums, blackberries, chocolate and walnuts. Full-bodied, textural and velvety, with succulence and depth to its fruit. Structured, wide and super refined with a long, encompassing finish. It’s well integrated and balanced with a lively freshness, yet it needs some time. Better after 2027.James Suckling | 97 JS

A standout vintage for one of California’s most collectible cabernet sauvignons. The color is black throughout, but with a dark garnet rim. Gorgeous aromatics of spearmint, pencil shavings, toasted oak and dark plums, before a silky, fresh but firm texture takes over the palate and dusky blackcurrant, tobacco-leaf, rose-petal and cedar notes emerge and linger. Full-bodied and saturated with rounded, well-integrated tannins that emerge on the lingering finish and keep melting in the glass. It will drink best from 2028.James Suckling | 98 JSSet to be bottled in January 2024, the 2021 Insignia looks to be another huge success. A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot, with 2% each Cabernet Franc and Malbec, all matured in 100% new French oak, winemaker Ashley Hepworth said she thought production would be about 18,000 cases. Waves of cherries, cassis and dark chocolate mark the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, concentrated, rich, velvety, plush, layered and long. The dusty tannins suggest ample structure, yet the wine is plush enough to be almost approachable. It’s a truly complete, delicious, seductive wine, yet naysayers may criticize it for lacking a certain amount of individuality or soul.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPNot yet bottled, the 2021 Insignia has a pure, concentrated, medium to full-bodied style that shows the vintage beautifully. Cassis, blue fruits, graphite, lead pencil shavings, and floral notes all define the bouquet, and it has beautiful tannins, a great mid-palate, and outstanding length.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDThe 2021 Joseph Phelps Insignia is well-endowed with structured, soaring tannins balanced by tension and pure fruit character. A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, and 2% Cabernet Franc, aged 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels, it shows a luminescent medium ruby colour in the glass. Rich huckleberry fruit is laced with tobacco, sage, pepperonata, and toasty cedarwood notes. Medium- to full-bodied and more expressive on the palate with pure red fruit character, layered with earth and wet river stone minerality, finishing with a hint of salted dark chocolate. The tannins build on the palate, becoming more assertive, and though they are well-integrated, this is such a youthful wine with great energy, power and tension, and is best enjoyed after 2025.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2021 Insignia is still in barrel, but it is immensely promising. Bright acids and beams of tannin confer freshness. This is a mid-weight vintage of Insignia that is built more on finesse than power. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice and new leather linger.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMSinged alder and sweet tobacco lead off, backed by waves of lush warmed cassis and plum reduction. Chestnut and warm earth notes help drive the finish. Burly and muscular now, but the core of fruit shows inner purity. This will need some time. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2028 through 2041. 16,600 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2021 Cariad is another First Growth Bordeaux look-alike from Colgin. Darker currants, smoked tobacco, graphite, bouquet garni, and some exotic, meaty notions dominate the bouquet, and it’s massively concentrated on the palate, with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mid-palate, polished tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It actually has some upfront appeal due to its incredible balance and texture, yet smart money will still hide these for 5-7 years. It will have 30+ years of overall longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDSo much graphite here with blackcurrants, black olives, black everything. Some orange peel, dried violets and iodine. Volcanic and pumice-like. Amazing aromas. Full-bodied but so tight and polished with crushed stone, iodine and cashmere. Leather undertones. A distinctive masterpiece for the vintage that will age for infinity. Try after 2030.James Suckling | 100 JSColgin’s 2021 Cariad is explosive, effusive and all charm. All the elements are so well put together. Deep, sweet floral and savory spice nuances lift a core of red/purplish fruit, all wrapped together with broad, chocolatey tannins. Elegant, vivid and impeccably balanced, the 2021 has a brilliant future. It will be interesting to see where this goes over time.Vinous Media | 99 VMLike the 2018 version, Colgin’s 2021 Cariad is wonderfully vibrant and fresh, with hints of dried sage accenting purple raspberries and cassis. It’s full-bodied and velvety in texture yet taut and energetic. Nearly indescribable spice and earthy complexities fold in on the long, elegant finish, all wrapped in a cocoon of dry, silky tannins.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 Cariad is just a little bit closed to begin. With patient swirling, notes of cassis, black cherries, and mulberries slowly emerge from the glass, followed by hints of dark chocolate, iris, and spice cake, with a waft of underbrush. The full-bodied palate is jam-packed with concentrated black fruit layers, supported by firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing on a lingering aniseed note. Tantalizingly decadent!The Wine Independent | 98 TWIThis is dense, fleshy and generous in feel, all while maintaining form, as its core of well-steeped black currant and blackberry fruit rolls through, flecked with charcoal, alder and savory details and supported by a long tug of warm cast iron through the finish. Its grip offers a finishing kick of succulence, which bodes well for the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2025 through 2042. 851 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Simply put, Christian Moueix’s Napa Valley project Ulysses is a wine every collector of Napa Cabernet should have in their cellar. The 2021 release of the Oakville red is a knockout that is never too bombastic, entirely reserved even in its generosity, and one that will last a very long time. A dry winter and spring led to the second consecutive year of a drought that began in January 2020. Temperatures were warm and consistent and slightly above average. The vines produced smaller clusters of small berries with high phenolic compounds and tannin levels. 1,400 cases produced. Opaque purple-ruby to the rim. A wine showing all the best qualities you’d expect from a prime Oakville site. This is a beautifully balanced red, imbued with a tremendously fresh streak of acidity. The nose leads with prime, ripe, dark black fruits, cassis, violets, creme de menthe, and crushed slate.—medium to full-bodied with impressively fashioned tannins that are robust and build through the extravagantly long finish. Marked by ripe black cherry and spiced plum notes, the length is extended by zesty blood orange acidity. Fragrant with sage and thyme, nuanced by brighter cherry blossom freshness and mineral tension. Impressive depth and density with a core of pure, ripe, and juicy fruit. Exceptional. This was the last wine in a complete vertical tI tasted with Moueix and winemaker Tod Mostero in a tasting room tucked within the barn on the Ulysses Vineyard site. ’I’m thrilled,’ commented Moueix, ’There’s a real dignity to the wines.’ Moueix said that until this tasting, he hadn’t quite noticed the style signature but found it emerging, though cautioned, ’Even with our experience next door at Dominus, we are still figuring it out.’ For Mostero, ’Making these has been a discovery of place. With our mature vines, we’re just beginning to get a sense of the true resonance of the place. The 2021 typifies what we can expect. This arrow-like structure that is piercing, resonant, and strong.’Decanter Magazine | 99 DECThe reserved plushness comes out clearly with brightness, focus and very creamy tannins that give it muscle and tension. Juicy and flavorful but not overdone. Energetic and flexing but in a friendly way. Plums, milk chocolate, terra cotta and nutmeg. Almost all cabernet sauvignon with a touch of cabernet franc and petit verdot. Give it four or five years to soften. Try after 2028.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is a huge, dense wine. Copious dark fruit, menthol, licorice, plum, espresso and spice are amplified in a large-scale, ample Oakville Cabernet. The 2021 is very much a wine of power and structure. Sepia-toned notes lend darkness, while the oak imprint also appears to be quite present at this stage. Even so, the wine exudes balance but in a pretty extroverted style, especially compared to Dominus.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, with around 5% Cabernet Franc in the blend, is opaque purple-black in color. It storms out of the glass with powerful scents of blackcurrant cordial, plum preserves, star anise, iris bulb, and dark chocolate plus suggestions of camphor, cedar chest, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a sold line of firm grainy tannins and bold freshness to frame the energetic black fruit layers, finishing long and fragrant. 1,400 cases were made.The Wine Independent | 96 TWIThere are 1,400 cases of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, which offers up charming red-fruited notes of cherries and redcurrants, plus some loamy-earth scents. While it comes across a bit more angular and more coarsely textured than its sister wines Dominus or Napanook, it also seems a bit lighter in body despite also weighing in at 15% alcohol. It’s impressively complete and balanced overall, adding savory, mocha-tinged notes on the lingering finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

The 2022 Moonracer Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, it shimmies out of the glass with energetic scents of red currant jelly, Morello cherries, mint tea, and rose oil, followed by suggestions of clove oil, cinnamon toast, and graphite. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers lightly chewy tannins and impressive freshness to frame the baking spice-laced red berry flavors, finishing with a minty lift.The Wine Independent | 96 TWIThe 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Moonracer is a pretty, open-knit wine that will drink well with minimal cellaring. Crushed flowers, red-toned fruit, mint, cinnamon and orange peel open nicely with a bit of time in the glass. Pretty floral overtones add freshness to this silky, mid-weight Cabernet Sauvignon.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The first time specific blocks have been used for this wine. Dark forest berry notes on the nose with perfumed elements and notes of milk chocolate. Supple and agile, generous with textured, slightly grainy tannins that are so pleasant – expansive and round in the mouth. It’s well built and very approachable with blackcurrant and black cherry flavours on the palate. Concentrated, deep and layered but still with elegance. Extremely characterful. A blend of the 2018 and 2019 vintages with 18 months ageing in French oak barrels. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. DRINK 2023-2031.”Decanter | 93 DEC