Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Cathy Corison's 2013 Kronos is a little more brooding than her regular Cabernet Sauvignon, with darker fruit tones, richer notes of cocoa and more volume on the palate, but the two share a wonderful perfume of roses and violets, expressed with an exuberance unusual for Cabernet Sauvignon. A stunner.
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James Suckling
A glorious old vine wine with mineral, stone, blueberry, black currant and wet earth. Full body, silky tannins and a long finish. Salty undertone, even iodine. There's an ethereal quality to this that makes you think. Released spring of 2017.
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Wine & Spirits
Napa Valley cabernet is often formidable, but it’s rare to find one that’s both formidable and fresh. Kronos is racy in 2013, lean and lithe with the energy and dynamism of the vintage. Kronos is Cathy Corison’s estate vineyard, eight acres surrounding her winery on the west side of Highway 29 in southern St. Helena. The cabernet was planted in 1971 on St. George rootstock, which has the benefit of naturally limiting yields; it also helped the vines survive the region’s most recent bout with phylloxera. The freshness of this wine’s acidity is unusual in contemporary Napa Valley (especially in the up-valley reaches of St. Helena); it lends a tart, fruit-skin crunch to the red cherry and darker plum flavors, and lifts the scent with violet notes. Brilliant cabernet, this is rooted in the best aspects of Napa Valley’s past. Cellar a case and it will provide exceptional drinking for years to come.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.