Corison Cabernet: A Pinnacle of Napa Wine

I celebrate Easter in NYC, cook some lamb chops with a dear friend, and do a deep dive on my favorite Cabernet to date.

Corison Napa Valley Cabernet 2013

Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Napa Valley, California

Producer: Corison / Cathy Corison & Family

Costs: $130

Corison Cabernet: A Pinnacle of Napa Wine

Napa Valley Cabernets have been somewhat of a touchy subject on this wine journey of mine. Born in Sonoma County, maybe it’s in my blood to like Pinot Noir more? Or perhaps I was just unfortunate to have had some poor examples at the beginning. Thus, when buying retail or going out to a wine bar, I may pick a handful of other things before I settle on a domestic Cabernet. For me, oftentimes, they are just so brooding. And sometimes I can use brooding in a positive way but I am thinking not so much in previous examples. With increasing temperatures in that region, and certain preferences on the winemaking side, a lot of Cabernets can just feel flat and dull. There can be almost no fruit at times. Or you really have to search for it. Again, these are vast generalizations of my own experience with that one particular region. Broad sweeping statements like that can often be somewhat limited in scope. From there, I can imagine someone saying ‘Well have you tried so and so?’. And the answer would probably be no. However, I can now say that after today, I have been lucky enough to try a Cabernet from the folks over at Corison.

Cathy Corison is an absolute genius in her approach to wine. With a grape like Cabernet Sauvignon, I can only imagine the numerous ways of going about producing it. Options like stainless steel, concrete eggs, and oak barrels all present themselves. Do you go for aging in American Oak or French Oak? After that, are you going to go for a Barrique or Puncheon? All these decisions have massive impacts on the overall resulting wine. That is sort of my roundabout way of explaining why I loved this wine so much. And let me just tell you, I absolutely loved this wine. This may have been as near to a ‘perfect’ wine as I have ever had. A wine that is truly balanced in every aspect. Balanced, poised, and elegant. It had a beautiful life to it. There was no dullness, and even a 2013 vintage had a gentle acidity to it that complimented all the other aspects beautifully. The tannins were so polished and pure that the grip was somehow enveloped while you were tasting the fruit. It was not BOOM, dark fruit, and then a gulp and this rush of dryness on the sides of your mouth. In fact, everything was so harmonious in general. All of this alongside branzino, some lamb chops, and a beautiful red sauce. What a beautiful way to spend a holiday.

Now let’s talk about the fruit in this wine. It was so ripe and fresh that it really flew in the face of any preconceived notions I may have. Gentle, plush blackberries alongside some dark cherries. Nothing as deep as a plum, and certainly no raisins or anything of that nature. Again, this has a freshness, even with bottle age, that solidifies this wine as a ‘cult classic’, ‘collectible’, or whatever you may wish to call it. In addition to that fruit, there are other notes emerging from the age in bottle and oak. Subtle notes of cocoa, a nice earthiness that sort of rounds out in an herbaceous symphony. Like fresh chocolate mint that you can grow in your own garden, alongside some blueberries and blackberries. I’ll call this the wine that made me fall in love with Napa Valley Cabernet. I will certainly now be looking to buy some bottles of my own. This definitely introduces me to the idea of building a vertical lineup of a particular wine. First reason being that the gentleman who provided this wine has something of the sort. Secondly, you can just tell that the folks over at Corison respect the terroir, grapes, and winemaking practices to the utmost degree. These things all contribute to this being an incredible wine. You can tell that this is something that will truly vary year to year. And THAT is what makes wine, and collecting it, so interesting. You should be able to tell a slight difference in the wine depending on if it was hotter than normal, maybe more rainfall, and numerous other things. Again, this is something where I could see both sides of the hypothetical argument. Maybe you want to be able to grab something off the shelf and know that they had a heavy hand in the winemaking, thus resulting in a pretty standard wine. I would argue to explore a bit more and attempt to find the wines with a soul. People that take pride in doing the right thing in the vineyards and the cellar.

And here we are to wrap it up. This entire trip to New York City. To see a great friend, to appreciate one of the finest cities in the world, and to explore all that it has to offer. From a slice and a sparkling, to a Georgian restaurant I cannot wait to write about. Multiple wine shops were visited. New friends were made, new wines were tried, and we hosted a beautiful Easter meal to send everyone off. I feel very fortunate to have stayed in touch with a handful of dear friends from college. To be able to share a wine of this magnitude with said friends is even more incredible. I think that’s exactly what this wine is here to do. Provide memorable nights, unforgettable experiences, and something to explore for people who appreciate wines of soul. A wine that will provide you an experience in and of itself. It will change possible preconceived notions, or maybe provide lovers of Napa Cabs with a new producer to do a deep dive on. Either way you slice it, this wine is a special one here. A wine I will always remember drank with people I will always be close to!