Made a trip to Napa this past week. Seems like there’s been quite a bit of rain this spring! Apologies for the long post.
Day 1
Corison
A good friend and a wine mentor suggested I take a visit with Corison. Most people here know Cathy’s reputation, but if not I highly recommend listening to her story on the Bedrock podcast. As a brief summary, Cathy has been in the valley since the 70s. She is famous for staying true to her style, picking with elegance and freshness rather than ripeness. Meaning, she picks way earlier (and had no problems in 2020). So much so that the winery hit some very hard times when the trend was bigger riper oakier and she stayed true to her style. Things are much improved now and I am personally glad she stayed the course.
Had the opportunity to try several wines, including the 17 syrah, 17-19 Napa cab, 99 Kronos, and 2020 Cab Franc. In summary, they are phenomenal quality and you should try them at least once. I imagine these wines to be what the wines “old school Napa” tasted like when young (with respect to ripeness and pick dates etc.). If you don’t like them, no harm no foul. Good from an “experience” and “education” perspective IMO.
- 2017 Corison Syrah Helios Sunbasket Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (4/9/2024)
Tasted at winery. Medium light bodied Syrah. Nice lighter red fruits with hints of syrah meat underneath. Drinks well now and has structure to go awhile longer. 91-92 (91 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
- 2017 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (4/9/2024)
Definitely has a touch more fruit than the 18 or the 19 but still elegant and drinking beautifully. Starting to integrate more. I'd say this will be best in 10y but can drink very well now. (92 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
- 2018 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (4/9/2024)
Tasted at the winery.
Little bit darker with more serious fruit than the 19. Bit more coiled up in structure too. Comparatively dark and inky but still has the classic Corison elegance. Mineral-driven tannins with red and darker fruits.
Should cellar for 15y no problem. 93 (93 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
001 Vintners
Originally scheduled for lunch but my flight was delayed–Jack was very gracious in being flexible to meet me at Charter Oak for some pre-dinner nibbles (the raw vegetables were very good, and I’m a carnivore).
There’s a lot of interest in this wine on the board considering the vineyard and the winemaker. In summary, this is the former Abreu Thorevilos vineyard (now renamed Ecotone) and Graeme MacDonald is making the wine. Jack is an industry veteran with a very strong reputation in the valley (rightfully so, recommend looking him up). Graeme needs no introduction on this board.
The elephant in the room is the two 93pt scores from AG and WS on this wine. I personally do not agree (note below). I’ve been told by many people when a new project gets scored for the first time, critics can be reluctant to score highly upfront and not leave room to ramp up in following vintages.
My understanding is Graeme got first dibs on the blocks that went into this wine. It is a BDX-style blend and does taste like it (83.8 CS 13.5% CF 2.7% PV). I think the release notes are pretty spot on–there’s a lot of savory earthy old-world character here and also some proper fruit. I liked it a lot, but think it will be glorious in 15+ years. If you want to drink one in the near future, I’d wait 2-3 years if you’re able.
- 2019 001 Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon Ecotone Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley (4/7/2024)
Tasted with Jack over some pre-dinner nibbles. Made by Graeme MacDonald from Ecotone vineyard (former Abreu thorevilos).
Just my opinion, but this wine will shine in 15-20 years. Right now it showed powerful fruit with profound structure and a notable savory earthen character. I would not say it straddles the line between new and old world—rather, it distinctly shows some new world qualities side by side old world qualities. Like one foot on each side of the door.
Wait 5 years on this one. It is a pretty unique wine that shows differently from majority of Napa wines I’ve tried. (95 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
Tidings with Reid Griggs
Met up with Reid for dinner at Compline in downtown Napa. Good spot with solid food! Reid is very thoughtful and very knowledgable. He recently planted his own vineyard in Glen Ellen, which due to timing I unfortunately did not get to see. He was (is? unsure if still) Graeme MacDonald’s assistant winemaker and Tidings is his personal venture. He is also the current winemaker at Stony Hill. He brought the 2021 Tidings Moonridge CS. He views this as his flagship wine. It has a certain elegance and refinement while maintaining true mountain fruit. I personally think his Bien Nacido syrah is a stunner and could also be his flagship. In summary, he is a great guy making killer wines. Highly recommend reaching out to him if you’re planning a trip to Napa/Sonoma in the future.
- 2021 Tidings Cabernet Sauvignon Moonridge - USA, California, Sonoma County, Moon Mountain District (4/9/2024)
Tasted with Reid at dinner.
Like many of his cabs, they bloom in the glass. Shows lovely depth of fruit in an elegant style. Has that hint of blue that keeps things fresh. I found the fruit to be a bit more compact and waiting to unfurl compared to the 19 (which of course is 2y older, so that makes sense at this stage). A young wine that will do very well with time. (94 points)
Posted from CellarTracker