Winemaker Notes
A warm spring, following one of the driest winters on record, set the stage for this vintage, with scraggly clusters of small, concentrated berries paving the way. The summer and ripening season were moderate, giving them the long, cool season I hope for. Violets! and tuberose perfume jump out of the glass and mingle with dusty, loamy earth, cassis, plum and bright cherry notes. Blackberries, black cherry, plum and blueberries play nicely in the flavors, buoyed by the characteristic Kronos mouth-coating viscosity. Top-notes of baking spices, peppermint, anise and hints of chocolate add further layers of interest. Soft, silky tannins contribute grip. This wine couldn’t come from any other place.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants and flowers. Hints of dark chocolate. Full body, firm and velvety tannins and a gorgeous berry-like, subtle, fruity finish. Tangy and citrusy acidity. Forest floor. One of the best Kronos ever. Old-vine glory.
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Vinous
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard is at the very early part of its first plateau of maturity. Dynamic and layered with tons of earthy, savory complexity, the Kronos Cabernet is quite striking today. Blood orange, cedar and pomegranate build into the sustained finish. The flavor profile is decidedly red-toned. The 2014 does not have the explosive richness of some years, but it more than makes up for that with its sublime elegance and total finesse.
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Wine & Spirits
This classical cabernet grows at the vineyard behind Cathy Corison’s winery on the west side of Highway 29. It’s the rare cabernet vineyard from the 1970s (1971, in fact) that was planted on St. George rootstock and survived phylloxera, providing an opportunity to taste contemporary old-vine cabernet from one of Napa Valley’s coveted benchland sites. And it delivers: St. Helena may be one of the warmest spots in the valley, but these vines are rooted in cool earth, and they carry that coolness directly into the wine. It’s gently juicy with cherry-plum flavors, though the main impression is the suppleness of earthy tannins. Like the great cabernets of the 1970s, this should age with grace.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard is a fair click more expensive and is all Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in 50% new French oak. Its similarly ruby/purple color is followed by a bigger, richer wine that offers lots of currants, spice, blueberries, and roasted herb aromas and flavors. It's ripe, beautifully textured, elegant and balanced, with a mid-weight, yet concentrated, layered style. It should evolve nicely as well.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
A beautifully balanced wine, the 2014 Corison Kronos Vineyard exemplifies elegance with richness. The wine's ripe fruit flavors stay nicely in place with excellent acidity. Pair it with grilled chicken. (Tasted: October 30, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
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Decanter
Closed on the nose with a herbaceous tinge, but the palate is a different story, brimming with blueberries and blackcurrant pastilles that sit within a judicious frame of tannin and fresh acidity.
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.