Corison

In 1987, Cathy Corison began purchasing Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from other vintners in Rutherford and St. Helena, both located in Napa Valley. After doing this for several years, she and her partner, William Martin, took over Kronos Vineyard in 1995 and Sunbasket in 2015. With the first purchase, they were finally able to build their own winery, complete with cellars. Before that, they could use the cellars of Staglin, York Creek or Long Meadow Ranch. The winery is built in Victorian style and was designed by William himself.

The couple works with three different vineyards which all have a pebbly loam soil. Loam has the property of retaining plenty of water, giving the vines enough water in summer. The Kronos Vineyard is one of these three vineyards. It is also one of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in Napa Valley. The yield of this vineyard is minimal, but this actually benefits the quality. Since Cathy is convinced that good winemaking starts in the vineyard, she spends more time outside than in the cellar. No pesticides are used, so that nature has free reins to do its work. In fact, insects are deliberately placed to increase biodiversity. Everything else is sustainable as well; the power is supplied by solar panels, electric vehicles are used to get around, and William has designed a special cooling system that sucks cool night air into the basement and releases warm air through the roof.

Corison’s cellar produces seven different wines, of which Kronos Vineyard, Corison and Sunbasket Vineyard are the top cuvées. All wines are full-bodied and have a robust character, partly due to the 20 months of barrel aging in small French oak barrels. The wonderful reviews about Cathy’s wines prove that she is a talented winemaker. Corison's best vintages are: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2017 and 2018.