1994 Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Realm Cellars historic Napa Valley tasting which included no wines made between 1984 and 1994. Scott Becker of Realm characterised the decades thus: 1960s and 1970s pioneering, 1980s technical (thanks to Davis influence), 1990s and 2000s ripeness above all, now ‘pushing back’. Ann Colgin, ex Sotheby’s, was married to vintner Fred Schrader before marrying financier Joe Wender, who was presumably behind the deal to sell a major portion of Colgin to LVMH in 2017. Herb Lamb vineyard is just south of Howell Mountain AVA, north-east-facing so quite cool. This wine would have been made by Helen Turley, now of Marcassin. Very deep, dark, velvety crimson – a new era! Very ripe nose. Really sweet palate. Very well-managed tannins. Bumptious fruit showing very ripe berries. Luscious texture. Surely more than 13.6%! Very, very sweet and then some tannin on the end. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
(13.6% alcohol): Deep red. Aromas of truffle, game, licorice, flowers and dusty spices, plus a lightly vegetal character and an olive note. Bright and fine-grained in the mouth, with leather and game flavors to the fore. I find this a bit acidic, and the tannins betray a hint of dryness. In contrast to the Colgin 2004s that I tasted alongside this wine, the '94 has never really expanded in the bottle.
Not quite saturated, but no obvious development in the colour. Very fresh, sexy, indulgent nose. Cherry jam. Slight hint of herbs. Yet very ripe, into peach and vanilla cream. Develops tomato paste in the glass. Very soft, gentle, and quite neat, with some graphite mid palate giving an echo of bordeaux; yet rather short. Diluting itself in its own alcohol. (AH)
About the producer
Colgin has been producing some of the finest Cabernet blends in Napa Valley since its first vintage in 1992. Within just 13 years, it was recognised as one of the top 50 wine estates in the world by Robert Parker.