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Spotlight On: Colgin Tychson Hill Vineyard 2001 vs. 2002

The 2001 is rated higher but sells for less

Nick Suarez

Posted: Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Colgin has been producing top-notch wine since 1992, when it was founded. Currently, the winery produces five separate cuvées. Colgin’s Tychson Hill Vineyard is a relative newcomer, with its inaugural vintage in 2000, but it already has a great track record. Wine Spectator has rated the Tychson Hill in the classic range (95-100 points on Wine Spectator's 100-point scale) for the past five out of six vintages, the exception being 2003, where many Napa Cabernets struggled with uneven ripeness. The wine is well sought after in the auction market, as is evidenced by escalating prices, but there are some relative values to be found.

For instance, the Tychson Hill 2001 (97 points, $200 release, $390 current) provides a great value in comparison to the Tychson Hill 2002 (96 points, $250, $614). At 97 points, the 2001 scored one point higher than the 2002, but the 2002 already trades at a much higher $614—a 146 percent gain from its release price. The 2001 is currently trading at a 95 percent gain from its release price of $200, but for the most part has consistently stayed within the $300 to $400 range after a jump in the first quarter of 2007, when it jumped to $483.

Christie's NYWines will be offering a 3-bottle lot of the Tychson Hill 2001 in their Oct. 25 auction, with its presale low and high estimate of $750 to $900, or $250 to $300 a bottle—well below the current auction index price.

This data comes from the Wine Spectator Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions. This chart shows the average auction prices of Colgin Tychson Hill 2001 and 2002 from the fourth quarter of 2005 to the third quarter of 2008.

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