When Megan and I first drove up to Corison, smack in the middle of busy Highway 29 in the Napa Valley, I was struck by the charm of the little yellow cottage in front. The unassuming winery behind the cottage was bustle with the frenzy of the mobile bottling line, but Cathy Corison welcomed us in anyway and took us on a walk around the Kronos Estate Vineyard.
Cathy Corison has been working in wine for more than 20 years. She honed her craft at Napa Valley staworts like Chappellet Vineyard, Staglin Family Vineyard, York Creek Vineyards and Long Meadow Ranch. While making wine for other people, she kept wanted to express her own wine voice, and so in 1987 the first Corison Cabernet was born.
The location of the winery is on the benchland between Rutherford and St. Helena, and is known to produce world class Cabernet. The soil here on the Rutherford Bench is stony alluvial, and it is the best kind of growing condition for Cabernet. The old vines produce a bold, powerful and elegant wine with red and black fruit showing through with grace and satin luminosity.
The estate’s Kronos Vineyard is in fact one of the oldest Cabernet vineyards in the region, and therefore is a rare treat. At a time many in the wine business were ripping out old vines to replant and go with the modern technologies, this vineyard stayed put. These granddaddies aer 37 years old (give or take), and are farmed organically. Corison has owned the land since 1995 and the first vintage was 1996. These meaty vines are thick as tree trucks, and yield such small numbers that you would think you were at a fruit stand and not a winery. That said, the resulting juice holds a terrific array of flavors with concentrated fruit and refined structure.
As we heard the story of the winery and Cathy’s career, we tasted through 4 of the Cabernets, each with their own style and flavor, but each an amazing treat.
1996 Kronos Cabernet – this was the first vintage produced after Corison bought the property. This wine is alive with grass, green pepper, plum, spice and blackberry. It still has a lot of fruit for a 12 year old wine, and I could really pick out the cherry. It is in the European style, and is powerful but still elegant.
1997 Kronos- Dark, deep, difficult to get nose. More tannin and less fruit. Firmer texture. Slight flavor of grape bubble gum More spice, less fruit, subtle. Violets, dried roses, floral, nice acidity with a lot of spice.
The resulting wine is packed with luscious Bing cherry and plum chutney fruit and rendered rich and complex with undertones of cocoa, nutmeg, white pepper and “Rutherford dust”. Trademark floral highnotes are already beginning to develop in the bottle. Lush with gentle, mouth-coating tannins, it gracefully walks the line between power and elegance, perfectly balanced for a long, distinguished life.
*** (three stars – Chronicle Wine Selection) Cathy Corison picked her fruit just as a September heat wave began, and the 13.6 percent alcohol shows ripeness without heat, typical of Corison’s moderate approach. A distinct wood presence, though buoyant fruit shines through, with red cherry highlights and balanced tannins.
- The San Francisco Chronicle, December 15, 2006
Brimming with plum and blackberry fruit with hints of cocoa, the 2002 is expansive and deep, while at the same time, supple and balanced with a long, satisfying finish. Steve Tanzer writes: “Dark ruby-red. High-pitched aromas of cassis, violet and bitter chocolate. Juicy flavors of dark berries and baking spices, with a firm edge of acidity giving the wine shape and grip and a floral element contributing to the wine’s inner-mouth aromatic character. 91+”
(tasting note summer 2004)
90 Points. Supple and harmonious, it wins points for its sense of understatement, with spicy currant, black cherry and plum notes that are well-balanced and rich without being too powerful. Fine-grained tannins make it easy to enjoy now.
The Wine Spectator 10/31/03
(tasting note summer 2004)
To celebrate the beginning of construction of our winery building, every magnum was etched with a likeness of the central cupola on the barn.
(tasting note summer 2004)
Medium-weight, with herb, dill, cedar and earthy cherry and plum flavors that are elegant and well-proportioned. Turns complex on the finish.
The Wine Spectator 10/31/01
1998 Kronos- rich red fruit, restrained leather and tobacco. Plums and sandlewood, a touch of cassis.
We also tasted more recent vintages, but they are still babies. I am looking forward to going back and tasting them again as they develop, as well as taste the older vintages again. I was so wowed by them, my notes are a little lackluster and don’t properly do them justice.
If you are in Napa, dont’ miss a visit to Corison at 987 St. Helena Highway. It is open by appointment only from 10am – 5pm, but since there almost always there, just give them a buzz at 707.963.0826.
Happy tasting!
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