I'll Drink to That! #251:
Cathy Corison
2011 Corison Napa Cabernet
Will the 2011 Corison Cabernet go down as one of her best? Kathy Corison says in her recent IDTT podcast that it's highly likely.
These are big words. Corison has turned out many profound bottles over the past few decades.
It's also a very interesting choice. 2011 is a notoriously cool vintage. In the podcast, Corison focuses on the aromatics that vintage delivers. 2011 was the type of vintage where producers of ripe, powerful and rich cult Cabs largely hit a wall. Meanwhile, someone with a restrained aesthetic like Corison found a really special opportunity in 2011.
We're happy to offer the 2011 Corison Napa Cabernet at special pricing for I'll Drink to That! listeners. The regular price is $77.95, but we've discounted it to $71.95 for listeners of the podcast.
To receive the special pricing, please use the IDTTFORME promotion code. You can purchase online, over the phone or by replying to this email.
In the interview, Cathy Corison cites her resistance to the whims of fashion as she has remained steadfastly committed to a classic style of winemaking. It's really amazing to hear her describe a Napa that was still scratching its way back from Prohibition when she landed, just before the judgement of Paris. I found it shocking when she says that there were only thirty wineries in Napa when she arrived. Now there are over five hundred.
There's no doubt that Corison has watched Napa Valley transform. Throughout all of the years, her wines have remained beautifully constant examples of old-school California. For a long time, Corison's wines were our go-to examples of the balanced and gracefully aging wines that California could produce.
The wines tiptoe between Cabernet Sauvignon's elegance and power with veteran confidence and poise. Notes of violets, anise, cassis, boysenberries, olives, herbs and tobacco are complex and inviting and seamlessly woven together. A very fine structure and a bright lift of acidity are the hallmarks of Corison's Cabernet.
Cathy Corison has been in the valley since the 70s, with a winemaking resume that includes some of the top, old-school California estates (Chappellet, Staglin Family Vineyard, York Creek Vineyards and Long Meadow Ranch) eventually leading her to found her own winery, its first vintage being the still-beautiful 1987. I strongly encourage you check out the interview. Corison is one of Napa's fascinating voices and was lucky enough to have landed in Napa during one of its decisive periods.
I couldn't imagine a better initiation to Corison than the 2011. We suggest laying at least a few of these down to see the level of refinement that classically made California Cabernet can achieve with age.
Please reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463 to place your order.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits