One of the great Napa boutique wineries, Corison is the brainchild of Cathy Corison, first founded in 1987. At that time Cathy Corison started purchasing Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from prime vineyards between Rutherford and St. Helena. Her first wines were made at other spaces that she rented out. She purchased the Kronos Vineyard in 1995 which was a historic property that had been a farm for over a century and she finally built her estate vineyard as well as the spot for her winery. She later purchased the Sunbasket Vineyard in 2015 which is located near the winer location.
I have long been enchanted by these wines as Cathy is one of the legendary faces of Napa. She is a master’s degree graduate of the Enology program at UC Davis and has previously served as Chappellet winemaker prior to starting her own winery. Corison is known for her classic style of creating a Bordelaise, more restrained style to Napa wines. If you have never had the opportunity to try these beautiful wines, you will find them to be highly elegant and a wonderful contrast to wines that simply focus on power or concentration. Her wines are highly ageworthy as the winery even has a program that releases their older wines and I have found these wines to age exceptionally well. Her new release Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Corison ‘Napa Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 95) shows the classic Cathy Corison elegance while maintaining a silky mouthfeel and serious range. This is one for the cellar. Learn more about these beautiful and elegant Napa wines at https://corison.com/ Here is my review of her new 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon.
2015 Corison ‘Napa Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2015 ‘Napa Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon by Corison is a spectacular effort in this warm vintage. Sourced from the Saint Helena AVA, the nose shows wonderful range from coffee grounds to creme de cassis to black olive and crushed mint. Lighter smoky tones round out the compelling aromatics. Once in the mouth, the wine has a wonderful sense of place. The silky mouthfeel provides spectacular balance here. Cassis, anise, black tea, and lighter blueberry compote tones with cigar ash flavors complete this spectacular wine. While it is showing marvelously right now, this will continue to evolve gracefully for decades. Drink 2020-2040- 95