2015 colgin, cariad, napa valley
Why We're Buying
Colgin Cariad takes its name from the Welsh word for love. It's a Bordeaux-style red blend with four grape varieties, culminating in a bouquet of black fruit, cinnamon, and herbs. If you have $500 or so to spare, you can invest in a wine that Lisa Perrotti-Brown and Antonio Galloni gave a perfect score in 2016.
Critics Scores
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot, the 2015 Cariad Proprietary Red Wine sports a very deep garnet-purple color and boasts a very savory nose of chargrill, roasted nuts and yeast extract over a core of blackberry pie, blueberry compote, menthol and Indian spices with wafts of violets and underbrush. The palate has very firm, beautifully ripe tannins with a muscular core of black fruits and black licorice, featuring seamless freshness and amazing length. (LPB) 98+
Jeb Dunnuck
Reminding me of a Pessac-Léognan (although the style they’re going for is more Pauillac), the 2015 Cariad offers full-bodied, opulent, expansive aromas and flavors of tobacco leaf, cigar-box, earth, and crushed rock to go with a sensational core of ripe black fruits. It has the terrific complexity of the vintage as well as a deep, concentrated style, ample tannin, and while no doubt a sexy drink today, will be better with 4-5 years of bottle age.
Vinous
The highlight among these 2015s, the Cariad is a total knock-out. Dark, vibrant and powerful in the glass, the 2015 offers notable energy to balance the bold flavors of the year. In this vintage, the Cariad has quite a bit more Franc than is typically the case, a decision that has paid off beautifully. I very much like the sense of energy here