Reviews:
Jancisrobinson.com
18
Spiced blackcurrant and blackberry bramble freshly sprinkled with cocoa
powder and anise served with a side of black tea and toast. Ultra-fine
tannins couple with mouth-watering acidity and a dusty-rock minerality
for a long, palate-cleansing finish. Nicely persistent flavour shown
through natural concentration and a resulting freshness. Will no doubt
age and evolve well in bottle. 13.7% Drink 2017-2030 Elaine Chukan Brown for jancisrobinson.com, 7 Sep 2016
Jancisrobinson.com
Ruby-black
core to ruby edges. Star bright in the glass. Aromatics of redcurrant,
black cherry and dark cocoa with hints of cedar and gunpowder. Bursting,
expressive palate of mixed fruits and blooming roses – mixed citrus,
crisp dark berries, redcurrant and pomegranate. Fine-grained tannin and
balancing acidity… Elaine Chukan Brown for jancisrobinson.com, 12 Mar 2019
Decanter – 2015 California Wine Guide
Murphy’s top 2012 Cabernet Buys
Corison, Kronos Vineyard, Napa Valley 2012 18.5 (95)
Old, low-yielding vines produce a wine with effusive aromas and
flavours of potpourri, black fruit, Asian spice and black olive.
Scintillating acidity, unfolding complexity and a long, bracing finish
make this a wine not to be missed. Drink 2016-2028 Alc 13.7% September 2015
International Wine Report
98
The 2012 Kronos Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is another simply
incredible showing from Cathy Corison and a wonderful example of Napa
Valley Cabernet at its finest. Kronos is Cathy Corison's single estate
vineyard which was planted in 1971 and is one of the last old Cabernet
vineyards in the Valley. In 2012 Cathy Corison was able to achieve
striking overall purity, elegance and precision in her Kronos Cabernet, a
combination which is never an easy task to achieve. As this begins to
open in the glass it releases seductive aromas of fresh blackberries and
red currants followed by graphite, fresh violets and sweet spices which
all come together beautifully in the glass. This continues to impress
with its outstanding balance and finesse along with its remarkably
sleek, velvety texture and long lingering finish. Today the Kronos
Cabernet is already showing many appealing characteristics, but this
will only evolve further over the next two decades and become even more
special with age. (Best 2016-2035) August, 2015 (JD)
Antonio Galloni presents VINOUS explore all things wine
95+
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos presents a more intensely mineral
and savory profile than the Napa Valley, with the opulence of the
vintage pushed more into the background. Dried flowers, iron, spice,
leather and mint add nuance. Ideally readers should give the 2012 at
least a few years in bottle… The 2012 is a big wine, but it is also
quite vivid, full of detail and nuanced. Antonio Galloni, Oct. 2015
Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine
93
Corison's flagship Cabernet from the Kronos Vineyard garners style
points galore and proves that complexity and richness are not at all
dependent on blustery ripeness. It leads with layered, deeply
constituted aromas of cassis, cream and a touch of root-beer-like
sweetness and follows with exquisite, wonderfully well-composed flavors
that speak with quiet authority. It is moderately full-bodied but is
graceful and impeccably balanced from entry to finish. Winery devotees
who prize the estate's signature traits of refinement simply could not
ask for more, and those who are unfamiliar with the Corison name are
enthusiastically encouraged to make its acquaintance. Reviewed: December 2015
Saint Helena Star
Wine of the week: Corison Winery 2012 Kronos Vineyard Napa Valley Catherine Bugue, December 14, 2016
California Grapevine
Medium-dark ruby;
attractive, deep, bright, fragrant, cassis and black cherry fruit aroma
with hints of dried herbs and anise; full body; nicely balanced,
elegant, refined, red and black fruit flavors (a bit lighter in style
and softer in the mouthfeel than most of the other wines in this group);
full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Very approachable and appealing now,
though deserving another five years of bottle aging. Very highly
recommended. 13.7% alcohol; 750 cases; 100% CS Volume 41, October 2015
View from the Cellar
95+ The
2012 vintage of Kronos Vineyard from Corison Winery is a stunning young
bottle in the making. The wine is a tad less ripe than the “Napa” in
2012, coming in at 13.7 percent octane and offering up a pure and
youthful bouquet of black cherries, cassis, gorgeous soil tones, cigar
smoke, hints of the bell pepper to go and the Rutherford dust to come,
gentle spice tones and a very understated framing of cedary wood. On the
palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and laserlike in its focus, with a
sappy core of fruit, superb soil signature, seamless tannins and a
very, very long, elegant and still quite youthful finish. This is still
very early days for the 2012 Kronos, which will be an absolutely stellar
wine in the fullness of time, but I would not touch a bottle for at
least another eight to ten years, as this wine is going to get better
and better with extended bottle age! John Gilman, Issue #58, July-August 2015
View from the Cellar
96
I had not tasted the 2012 Kronos Vineyard from Cathy Corison since its
release in the spring of 2015 and was very happy that it was in our
lineup at the winery in September. I loved this wine out of the blocks
and it was showing brilliant potential at the winery, soaring from the
glass in a beautiful, young aromatic blend of red and black cherries, a
touch of eucalyptus, Rutherford dust, tobacco leaf and a very suave base
of new wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and nascently
complex, with a lovely core of sappy fruit, great focus and grip, fine-
grained tannins and exquisite balance on the very, very long and refined
finish. This is, of course, still a very young wine, but it will be one
of the defining wines of Cathy’s illustrious career when all is said
and done! 2030-2075+. John Gilman, Issue #69, May-June 2017
LE PAN
93
Subtle, balanced and intense, this Kronos shows little of the ripe,
very warm character of the 2012 vintage. There is a generosity and
roundness to the palate shape but the flavors, as usual for Corison
wines, are all about finesse and detail. A refreshing, restrained
Cabernet made from vines aged 30-plus years. Jeannie Cho Lee, LP Guide, September-October 2015
JamesSuckling.com
94
Beautiful aromas of lavender, rosemary and black currants follow
through to a full body with very pretty integrated tannins and a savory
finish. It's cool, calm and delicious. Drink now.
July 28, 2015
Food & Wine
The Buyer's Guide to 75 of the Best California Wines: 2012 Corison Kronos Vineyard
Napa Valley - Veteran winemaker Cathy Corison creates this vividly
aromatic, cassis-scented Cabernet from low-yielding 30-year-old vines
surrounding her winery, off Napa Valley's famed Highway 29 between
Rutherford and St. Helena. Ray Isle,
foodandwine.com, September 22, 2016
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