2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Good deep red-ruby. Captivating, complex nose offers cassis, licorice, pipe tobacco, bay, rosemary and a resiny perfume; reminded me of Leoville-Las Cases. Large-scaled and wonderfully aromatic on the palate, with superb sappy concentration and depth. This is downright sweet for a Corison cabernet but it comes across as quite young today owing to its energy. Really saturates the mouth on the back end, with the fruit blowing past the fine dusty tannins. For a big, round cabernet, this finishes with a magically light touch and a real whiplash of flavor. A great vintage for this wine, still with many years ahead of it.

(bottled in December of 2004) Dark ruby-red. High-pitched aromas of cassis, violet and bitter chocolate. Juicy flavors of dark berries and baking spices, with a firm edge of acidity giving the wine shape and grip and a floral element contributing to the wine's inner-mouth aromatic character. Very fresh and firmly built wine, with the balance and backbone to develop in bottle for a decade or more. The pH here is a moderate 3.55, without acidification.

The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is a pretty rich wine texturally, yet it has all the savory, earthy character that is such a signature here. Cedar, sweet pipe tobacco, dried flowers incense and rose petal all open with some aeration. The 2002 is in a perfect spot for drinking now, but also has the stuffing to hold for another 8-10 years, maybe more. The deep, explosive finish is a thing of beauty. Vineyard sources are Sunbasket, Hayne and Morisoli.