Corison, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2019

Corison is the standard-bearer for Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignons in Napa Valley. Cathy Corison is one of the original, female winemakers in California. At a time when California producers were in an arms race for fruit, alcohol, and critic scores, Cathy Corison bucked the trend, and crafted balanced, European-influenced Cabs that almost garnered ridicule at the time. In reality, she was ahead of her time, and today Corison Cabernet is considered one of the greatest expressions of the grape anywhere in the world. The 2019 is a phenomenal vintage. Every aroma of Cabernet is in prominent display, from black raspberries to cassis to fresh tobacco. The only challenging aspect of this wine is having the moral fortitude to let it age 20 years before opening it, as Cathy Corison herself recommends.