Cathy Corison has produced, since 1987, a limited quantity of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, hand-crafted without compromise from some of the finest vineyards in the Napa Valley, including Morisoli, Garvey and Vine Hill Ranch. Located along the western benchland centered around Rutherford, deep, stony alluvial soils promote the ideal growing conditions for the Cabernet vine. These vines regularly produce some of the most concentrated and superbly ripened fruit anywhere. Her concept is to make complex wines by taking advantage of the natural range of flavors possible in Cabernet Sauvignon grown on different sites. In cooler Oakville, the expression of cherries is always accompanied by a suggestion of olives and the wines have firmer tannins, more like Bordeaux. Rutherford produces California classics with deep plum and black cherry fruit in a soft, ripe structure. St. Helena's western edge is renowned for wines of unrivaled blackberry and cassis concentration and notable natural acidity. The estate vineyard is located between Rutherford and St. Helena on classic gravelly loam. Supple and decidedly drinkable as a young wine, they are structured for a decade or more of bottle development. Half of the small French oak barrels used to age each vintage are new, sourced from the center of France. Twenty years of winemaking for others, including Chappellet, Freemark Abbey, Staglin and others have honed her skills and left her immensely able to express her own winemaking voice.

www.corison.com

Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Deftly balanced between ripe, supple currant flavors and toasty oak. A graceful and polished style. Drinks well early, built with the structure for ageing.
2003
*** (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
2002 
"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+ Steve Tanzer, International Wine Cellar 

Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos
"Cathy Corison was lucky enough to have been able to purchase a 10.01 acre parcel on the south side of St Helena in late 1995 and it came with a 30 year old planting of low yielding Cabernet on Phylloxera resistant St Georges rootstock. Corison's style is for distinctly claret-like wines; her Cabernets show tobacco leaf, fresh herb and cedar notes, a restrained sweetness and a bit less alcohol than the North Coast norm. They are less showy than some, but have a history of graceful, midterm ageing." Steve Tanzer, International Wine Cellar
2002 
"Medium-dark purplish ruby; attractive, fragrant, spicy, cedary, dark currant and blackberry fruit aroma with hints of black licorice; full body; rich, supple, smoky, concentrated, ripe blackberry fruit flavors with a smooth, velvety mouth feel; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Approachable and enjoyable to taste now, showing good depth of fruit. Very highly recommended."     - California Grapevine December 06 / January 07

Cathy Corison, Winemaker/Owner