Cathy Corison, the first woman winemaker-proprietor in the Napa Valley, produces three Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons, hand-crafted without compromise. Her wines are powerful and elegant at the same time, have a sense of place, and are structured to grace the table and enjoy a long, distinguished life. She sources some of the finest vineyards in the Napa Valley, all located on classic benchland between Rutherford and St. Helena, where deep, stony, alluvial soils provide the ideal growing conditions for the Cabernet vine. These vines regularly produce some of the most concentrated and superbly ripened fruit anywhere. Kronos Vineyard, one of the estate vineyards, surrounds the winery on all four sides. Cathy harvested her 30th vintage of Corison in 2016.
For the Corison Cabernet Sauvignon, her concept is to make a complex wine by taking advantage of the natural range of flavors possible in Cabernet Sauvignon grown on different sites. Benchland at St. Helena’s western edge is renowned for wines of unrivaled complexity, concentration, floral aromatics, velvety tannins, and notable natural acidity. The estates Sunbasket and Kronos Vineyards, on the other hand, speak of specific places; the French call this concept terroir.
Corison Cabernets are juicy with fruit and hints of violets, olives, and spice and are moderate in alcohol. Fresh and lively on the palate, they are supple and decidedly drinkable as young wines, but structured for decades of rewarding bottle development. Half of the small French oak barrels used to age each vintage are new each year. They are sourced from several coopers and various forests situated in the center of France for added complexity.
Cathy holds a master of science degree in enology from the University of California–Davis. Decades of winemaking for others, including Chappellet Vineyard, Staglin Family Winery, Long Meadow Ranch, and York Creek Vineyards, left her eager to express her own winemaking voice. She is guided by her belief that winemaking and wine appreciation are timeless, creative celebrations of life.
