2018 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard features gentle herbal tendencies, hints of crushed stone and pencil shavings, plus reined-in cassis fruit. Medium to full-bodied (just 13.6% alcohol), it's silky and fine, like the other Corison Cab offerings. These are elegant, restrained food wines, in the best senses of those terms.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
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Cathy Corison's 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard marries the brooding intensity of this site with the charm of the year, a combination that makes for a hugely appealing wine. Dark cherry, violet, lavender, menthol and spice fill out the layers. The Kronos Cabernet is typically quite a bit more potent and muscular, but the 2018 is decidedly laid back. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of mineral and savory notes that add striking complexity. Clone 2 on St. George rootstock planted in gravelly soils yield one of the most distinctive Cabernets in Napa Valley.
In the same mold, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard has a spicy, perfumed, and already complex bouquet of red and black currants, lead pencil, dried tobacco, cigar, and candied violets to go with a medium-bodied, elegant, seamless style on the palate. As with all the wines from this estate, it’s not a blockbuster, but it excels for its balance, purity, complexity, and elegance. Enjoy bottles over the coming two decades.
About the producer
Cathy Corison is one of Napa’s leading lights – a matriarch of the region who crafts defiantly elegant Cabernet Sauvignon from her old vines on the benchland between Rutherford and St Helena. These refined, long-ageing wines are some of Napa’s most impressive.