Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The 2021 rendition of Cathy Corison's iconic Kronos Vineyard Cabernet is one of the vintage's most seamless, refreshing, and focused Cabernets. Super polished tannins are seamlessly integrated, while the fruit profile is remarkably pure, light, and vibrant with tangy-bright mixed berry fruit that is nuanced by white pepper and crushed wild herbs. It is stunning now and will reward patient collectors over the next few decades. The vineyard was planted in 1971 on St. George rootstock. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is aged 20 months in 50% new French oak. The winery has been a Napa staple since opening its doors in 1987.
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James Suckling
Attractive nose with aromas of black and blue fruit and hints of cloves, licorice, graphite and iodine on the nose. Crushed stone notes. Medium- to full-bodied and structured, but very fine with silky, almost delicate texture to its tannins. Very harmonious and lively. Long and fresh with al-dente fruit. Really beautiful and pristine. Drink from 2027.
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Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard is fabulous. In fact, the 2021 is one of the most elegant wines I have tasted from this site, a vineyard where the tannins can be forbidding at this stage. The long, cool growing season provided ideal conditions for the ripening of seeds and stems. Blackberry, gravel, incense, licorice, dried herbs and espresso build as this brooding Cabernet gradually reveals its charms. This super-classic Kronos was bottled in June 2023 after spending 20 months in barrel.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As it is in most vintages, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard is gently floral and herbal (sage-like?) on the nose, with those delicate elements joining scents of pencil shavings and cassis. It's cooler-seeming than the Sunbasket Vineyard bottling, with more perfume and less obvious fruit, yet it's still medium to full-bodied, concentrated, tannic, mouthwatering and long. If the Sunbasket is more showy, this is more restrained and perhaps more elegant.
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Wine Spectator
Sleek and pure in feel, this shows mulberry, cassis and black cherry puree notes that ripple with finely beaded acidity. Stylish details of iris and violet wrap around the fruit, with a pretty twang of iron supporting the lengthy finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
All varietal, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard is absolutely brilliant and well worth seeking out. Pure blue fruits, cassis, graphite, lead pencil, and tobacco notes are just some of its nuances, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a pure, layered, flawlessly balanced mouthfeel, and a great finish. Brought up in 50% new French oak, it's one classy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that reminds me of a great Saint-Julien. Give bottles 4-5 years if you can, and it will drink well over the following two decades.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
St. Helena is in the heart of the Napa Valley, nestled between Calistoga to the north and Rutherford on its southern border. On its western side, the Mayacamas Mountains guard it from the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean; to its east stand the Vaca Mountains. In conjunction, these mountain ranges serve to lock in summer daytime heat. But in the evening, cool air from the San Pablo Bay funnels up through the valley, creating very chilly nights. It isn’t uncommon for temperatures to drop 50 degrees, a shift that promotes a balance of sugar ripeness and acidity in wine grapes.
St. Helena contains a plethora of different soil types in a small area, which have been enhanced over centuries by rain runoff from both mountain ranges. Its vineyards cover a variety of terrain, spreading across the bucolic valley floor and its benchlands.
These ideal topographic and climatic growing conditions easily caught the attention of early winemaking pioneers. In fact, St. Helena is the birthplace of Napa Valley’s commercial wine industry. Dr. Crane founded his cellar in 1859, David Fulton in 1860 and Charles Krug in 1861.
Today there are no less than 400 separate vineyards planted within the 12,000 acres that make up the St. Helena appellation.
Revered most for its red wines based on Bordeaux varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, the St. Helena appellation is also a source of superior Syrah, Zinfandel and Sauvignon blanc.