Fine Wine Leadership: Ann Colgin On What's Next For Colgin Cellars In Napa

Forbes

06-08-2025

Ann Colgin, Founder and Chairwoman of Colgin Cellars in Napa Valley, CA Misti Layne
It was at the Napa Valley Wine Auction in 1988 when Ann Colgin was first inspired to establish her own wine estate in the fabled valley. Growing up in Texas, studying art history at Vanderbilt University, and securing positions with both Sotheby's and Christie's, Ann was well-versed in the worlds of fine art and wine. However, it wasn't until her first visit to Napa Valley that inspiration struck.
"I fell in love with the world of fine wine that day and had a dream to one day have a vineyard and winery here," she explained, when I met with her recently at Colgin Cellars, along with Colgin COO, Neil Bernardi, MW.
But it wasn't until nearly ten years later, in 1998, that Ann found her dream property, situated high on Pritchard Hill in Napa Valley, overlooking Lake Hennessey.
"From the beginning, I wanted our wines to be the very best of the best," she said, "so I hired the best people to help clear the land and large boulders to plant the estate vineyard, and hired Helen Turley to be our first winemaker."
However, during the ten years of searching for the perfect property to build her winery, Ann discovered other high-quality Napa vineyards, such as Herb Lamb and the Tychson Hill vineyard, from which to craft exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet blends.
'Our first vintage of Colgin Cellars Herb Lamb was released in 1995, and I purchased our Tychson Hill property in 1996. When I saw the potential for wine quality at Tychson Hill and discovered that it was first planted in 1861 by widow, Josephine Tychson with her two young children, and that she was the first woman to start a winery in Napa Valley, I knew I had to purchase the property,' Ann reported.
Over the next few years, Ann built the Colgin winery and tasting room. She planted 40 acres of estate vineyards on the 137-acre property, situated at an elevation of 1200 to 1400 feet on Pritchard Hill. The Colgins named their estate vineyard, 'IX Estate', to signify, in Roman numerals, that it was planted on the ninth day of the ninth month of the year.
All of the Colgin Cellars vineyards are farmed organically.
Colgin Cellars in Napa Valley on Pritchard Hill with Lake Hennessey in the Background Colgin Colgin Cellars Components of Success Today
Fast-forwarding to today, it is obvious that Ann and her husband, Joe Wender, a retired executive with Goldman Sachs, have created a true luxury wine brand in Napa Valley. (Ann and Joe were married at Colgin Cellars in the year 2000, and Joe is now CEO.)
"From the very beginning, I wanted our wine to be sold on allocation to a special group of private clients who appreciate the quality of a fine wine," Ann explained.
Therefore, each customer on the allocation list is allowed to purchase small quantities of wine each year, totaling around $2,250 ($750 per bottle). "Allocation sizes are based on longevity and participation, and are carefully curated for each collector," said Neil Bernardi, MW.
The wines are exquisite to taste, and today are crafted by Director of Winemaking, Allison Tauziet. "Allison spends just as much time in the vineyard as she does in the cellar, and she is such a perfectionist when it comes to winemaking," said Ann.
Tasting through five different wines (see tasting notes at end), I was struck by the heady perfumed aromas of each wine along with the velvety tannins and very long seamless finish with a touch of minerality. Each wine clearly expressed the vineyard site and vintage. They are truly some of the most dreamy wines I have ever tasted – impossible to find fault with.
Though Colgin does "not chase scores," according to Neil, the wines consistently receive high scores from the critics, with both Robert Parker and James Suckling giving them a perfect 100-point score in prior years.
And, according to the Robb Report , "Life is too short to not try these wines at least once!"
Part of the secret to Colgin's success is not just a relentless focus on perfection and continuous improvement, but also adherence to their three pillars. "The ethos of Colgin Cellars is to create wines of perfume, freshness, and minerality while embracing the diversity of hillside sites in the Napa Valley," stated Ann.
The wines are also designed to age well, and are ideal for collectors due to their age worthiness, even though they also taste delicious upon release.
"From the very beginning, I wanted our wine to be sold on allocation to a special group of private clients who appreciate the quality of a fine wine.' Ann Colgin, Founder of Colgin Cellars
Another component of success for a luxury wine brand is scarcity in production. Colgin wines fit this requirement very well, because each year is dependent on the weather and conditions during that vintage, but generally averages between only 3,000 and 4,000 cases per year.
"In years with exceptional growing conditions, production may approach 4,000 cases, whereas more challenging vintages may yield closer to 3,000," reported Neil.
And in years where the vintage is daunting, such as the wildfires in 2020, Colgin produced no wine. Ultimately, Mother Nature is still in charge, and with luxury wines, having less availability often creates more desire from consumers anyway. Colgin Cellars' Future and Partnership With LVMH
In 2017, Ann and her husband sold a 60% majority stake in Colgin Cellars to LVMH, while they retained the other 40%.
"We want this winery to last for multiple generations, and since we have no children, we welcomed a partner that would understand and support our values," explained Ann.
LVMH, the world's largest luxury-goods company, was a great choice, since CEO and billionaire Bernard Arnault (#10 on the Forbes Billionaire list), cites finding luxury brand companies that are designed to last at least a century or more as one of the criteria he uses when deciding to make an acquisition or not.
However, Ann explained that her first meeting with Bernard was over a casual cup of coffee in Paris, where they spoke mainly about art. "It wasn't until the end of the conversation that he told me he was interested in doing something in Napa Valley one day," said Ann.
'It is a great relationship,' she continued, 'because Colgin is now part of LVMH's Vins d'Exception , which includes three other famous wineries: Chateau d'Yquem , Chateau Cheval Blanc and Domaine des Lambrays in France.'
To conclude our conversation, I asked Ann about her vision for the future of Colgin.
"We are concerned about climate change and are taking proactive steps in the vineyard to respond to it, such as adopting some of the regenerative farming techniques like low tilling," said Ann.
"In addition, we want to introduce our wines to more parts of the world, and encourage people to open a bottle of Colgin and share it with friends, rather than just saving it in their cellars," Ann stated.
Currently, Colgin is exporting 15% of their wines outside of the U.S. and with their relationship with Vins d'Exception, they hope to increase this.
"One of the great joys of my life is that I have become friends with many of the people who buy our wines, and I look forward to making more friends in the future," said Ann.
In the end, Colgin Cellars, like many great luxury wine estates around the world, is built on a solid foundation that has sustained them from the beginning – their relentless focus to always be the very best and to continually hone and enhance their artistic talents in winemaking.
"Every year, we test, experiment, and refine every aspect of what we do—whether it's in the vineyard, where we continue to evolve our farming and sustainability practices, or in the cellar, where we explore techniques to enhance the perfume, freshness, and minerality of our wines," concluded Neil.
A Bottle of the Colgin Cellars 2022 IX Estate Syrah Colgin Colgin Cellars Wines – Tasting Notes
Of the five wines I tasted at Colgin Cellars, it was impossible to select a favorite because they were all delicious. As a veteran wine judge for 20+ years, this is a surprising statement, even for me. However, I must concur with Robb Report that if you love wine, life is too short not to try these wines at least once.
Colgin Cellars 2022 Tychson Hill – Enticing blackberry pie and floral notes on the perfumed nose, with a silky layered palate of raspberries, chocolate, and a touch of graphite. Exceptionally velvety texture and a long lingering finish. Composed of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from Colgin's jewel box of a vineyard, Tychson Hill, north of St. Helena. The soil is a combination of clay loam and obsidian. Aged 20 to 24 months in French oak barrels.
Colgin Cellars 2022 Cariad - This seductive blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, was filled with complexity and opulence. Beginning with an extremely perfumed floral nose with bursts of boysenberry, it opened to exotic black plum, blackberry, black olive, and a complex note of potting soil. Very concentrated fruit, velvety tannins, and a long, exquisite finish. The term 'Cariad' is a Welsh word for love, and the grapes are sourced from the volcanic soils of the Madrona Ranch vineyard in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains. Aged 20 to 24 months in French oak barrels.
Colgin Cellars 2022 IX Estate – A massive, powerful wine, flexing its mountain muscles, but still showing incredible elegance in the long, textured body and finish. Sourced from the Colgin estate vineyards with an elevation ranging from 1200 to 1400, the wine embraces the nose with ripe blackberries and violets, before caressing the palate with a warm velvety blanket of savory bouillon, sage, dried lavender and a hint of iron on the finish. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, this wine is delightful to taste young, but it is designed to age for decades. Aged 20 to 24 months in French oak barrels.
Colgin Cellars 2013 Tychson Hill – I was excited to try an older version of the 2013 Tychson Hill, and it did not disappoint. Though showing a garnet rim on dark ruby depths, it still tasted incredibly fresh, with a perfumed nose of dried lavender, herbs, and potpourri, and an explosion of dark plum, black cherry, and graphite on the palate. Still very textured, elegant, and long, with the ability to age another decade or more. Aged 20 to 24 months in French oak barrels.
Colgin Cellars 2022 IX Estate Syrah – It's rare to find Syrah in Napa Valley, but Ann told me they planted it because she and her husband love Northern Rhone wines, and they felt that since they owned a mountain vineyard with lots of rocks, they should plant a few acres. It was a wise decision, because this wine is clearly 100% Syrah with the classic tar, bramble berry, and meaty notes, along with a hint of spice and toast wrapped around massive velvety tannins. With such a pedigree, it is sure to gain increased complexity and savory notes over time.
Ann Colgin, Founder and Chairman, and Joe Wender, CEO, of Colgin Cellars Colgin