Wine Advisor
Corison, Sunbasket Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
There are just 200 cases of Corison's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Sunbasket Vineyard, the ripest and most expansive of the three wines tasted for this report. Scents of pencil shavings, cassis, black cherries and blackberries appear on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate—this checks in at a reported 14% alcohol—is richly concentrated, quite lush and compelling yet restrained and regal, with a long finish framed by lingering, fine-grained tannins.
About the Producer
Corison Winery is a small family farm producing delicious Cabernet Sauvignons that speak of place. Over three decades, Cathy Corison and William Martin have built a special home to celebrate the best of our little corner of the world, benchland in the heart of the Napa Valley. Known for power and elegance, Corison wines are balanced to grace the table and are recognized throughout the world for their longevity and consistency. In 1987, Cathy Corison began to purchase great Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from prime benchland vineyards between Rutherford and St. Helena, intent on making powerful and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon that speaks of place. These well-drained alluvial soils had a long history of producing balanced, age-worthy, world-class wines, reaching back to the late 19th century. In her early years everything was done with smoke and mirrors, using purchased fruit and space in others' wineries. In 1995, with the purchase of Kronos Vineyard, a property that had been a farm for over a century, there was finally an estate vineyard and a place to build a winery. In the spring of 1999 they broke ground to build our stately Victorian-style winery barn, designed by Cathy's husband, William Martin. Their second estate vineyard, Sunbasket, a stone's throw from the winery, was purchased in 2015 after sourcing it for over 25 years.
