2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos

The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard is a classic, old-school wine from Cathy Corison. It offers up a whole range of savory and earthy tones, all in a mid-weight style that is really from another era compared to the prevailing style in Napa Valley at the time. The aromatics alone are enchanting. Readers lucky enough to own the 2001 can expect another decade of fine drinking. Kronos, planted on St. George rootstock in 1971, is one of Napa Valley's most distinctive sites.

The 2001 growing season included a mix of up-and-down weather beginning with early warmth in spring followed by a sudden chill, then followed by quite warm weather in both May and June. However, August cooled again allowing ripening to slow before harvest, giving vintners the opportunity to pick fruit based on stylistic preferences rather than merely to stay ahead of the heat or the weather. The 2001 vintage includes some of the best wines of Napa Valley. Deep core of ruby-black colour with slightly less density than the previous couple of vintages. Star bright in the glass. Aromatics of gunmetal and white mushrooms. Bursting front of the palate carrying notes of gunmetal, lavender and violet that roll through the mouth into flavours of blackcurrant, a mix of mushrooms and a sprinkle of pepper. Lovely density of flavour and complexity here with depth and freshness. The 2001 is a bit more approachable and open than the powerhouse 1999 but not in the sense of carrying less seriousness or less structure. There is simply a more convivial character in the 2001 compared with the brooding elements of the 1999. Some wet-tobacco notes and a little more mushroom reduction appear with air through the finish. Great balance in all directions here – energy, freshness, complexity, approachability and length, all with impressive ageing potential. (ECB)

(aged in 50% new oak; made from a ten-acre parcel of 30-year-old vines next to the Corison winery on Highway 29, at the south end of St. Helena Good full ruby. Brooding aromas of black raspberry, minerals, violet and bitter chocolate. Sweeter, denser and fatter than the 2003 and 2002 Napa bottlings, with claret-like notes of leather, smoke, cedar and graphite. Here the acids are more obviously integrated, but there's still a bit of tarry oak to be absorbed. Finishes with lovely length and lingering sweetness. The yield, always low in this vineyard, was just 1-1/2 tons per acre.