Less known than her Cabernet Sauvignon is Cathy Corison’s Cabernet Franc, grown in a vineyard she’s been farming organically for decades and has more recently acquired: Sunbasket. The wine is highly perfumed, supremely floral with a suggestion of beach rose, lily of the valley, anise seed, and tarragon. The palate is light-textured, the tannins finely integrated with scintillant acidity. The flavors read like red cherries and red licorice, with a finishing note of basil, tea, and pine. This wine doesn’t have the stridently herbaceous quality of some Cab Franc. It’s more flower than leaf.
My husband says: “It’s the power of quiet.”
2014 Corison Helios Cabernet Franc Sunbasket Vineyard St. Helena Napa Valley
13.7% ABV | Current release (2019) is $125 (sample)
Disclosure: The winemaker is a friend.
I have a bottle of the 2014…somewhere. It has been misplaced, but I suspect that it will be just fine whenever I finally locate it.
The 2019 is quite delicious. I broke down and opened one shortly after I acquired it.
It’s indeed remarkable how Cathy’s wines are great on release and also years later. Different but wonderful.