2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos

While a growing number of Napa cabernets are now being made from grapes picked at the limits of (over)ripeness, Cathy Corison's wines remain downright racy by California standards."We do everything possible to optimize photosynthesis in order to increase the curve of sugar accumulation," says Corison, which is her way of saying that she tries to get the skins ripe before grape sugars go through the roof."Cabernet in California can be floral if you don't let the grapes turn into raisins," she added.The 2002s and 2003s here are fruit-driven, lush wines at moderate levels (between 13.5% and 14%) of alcohol.

Cathy Corison was lucky enough to have been able to purchase a 10.01-acre parcel on the south side of St. Helena in late '95, at the end of the last downturn in the local real estate market. The parcel was large enough (by 0.01 acre) to allow for the construction of a winery, and it came with a 30-year-old planting of low-yielding cabernet sauvignon vines on phylloxera-resistant St. George rootstock. Corison's long-time cabernet is a blend from several sites; her new vineyard produces the wine labelled Kronos Vineyard. Corison's style is for distinctly claret-like wines; her cabernets show tobacco leaf, fresh herb and cedar notes, a restrained sweetness and a bit less alcohol than the North Coast norm. They are less showy than some, but have a history of graceful, mid-term aging.