Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California
15.6 % Alcohol
Tasted 2016-07-20
Deep, dark cherry red with some light rims. Aromas of prunes paired with chocolate lava cake and completed by hints of baker's yeast and ground coriander. Complex! Balmy! On the palate warm (the alcohol!) with compote-similar structure. But only at the beginning. Suddenly a tart sourness arises which becomes stronger and stronger up to the long - very long - finish. Far, far at the end suddenly a velvet carpet enters the scene and ensures for a smooth, rounded down finish. Bravo!
For years I have been looking for a red wine which can easily be paired with dishes based on eastern spices (not too hot!). Voilà. Here it is. This sourness to the end paired with the warm ground structure is perfect. Take a sip when the spiciness of the dish reaches nearly the top. I promise an explosion of flavors. Not convinced? OK. Something different. My wife wonders about tarte with bacon, goat cheese and figs. Lots of figs. I must confess that I like this idea.
Jeff Cohn. Hm. Shall I write something about one of - my - icons in wine history and culture? Makes no sense. I met him once. During harvest time. Totally stressed and soiled. My friend Brian asked him for a photo. And even if Jeff was tired, stressed and really in hurry he took his five minute of time not only for the photo but also to give us the feeling that all this wine business is very important but not everything. Friendly, very obliging and everything else but snotty. I visited the winery's website and I like one special sentence: "We are an urban winery because we have a zeal for fruit that is grown in the best micro-climates from all over California and we love Alameda. It is great place to make wine, and is a huge part of what we are as a family and a winery." Nothing to add.
Do you know the movie "The 5th Element" by Luc Besson? This Cassata would represent the earth. Drink this "element" over the next five years.
Wednesday, July 20. 2016
2012 Jeff Cohn Cellars Zinfandel Cassata Vineyard (94/100)
Sunday, July 17. 2016
2012 Corison Winery Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (96/100)
Napa Valley, California
13.9 % Alcohol
Tasted 2016-07-17
Medium, dark, ruby red. Lot of black fruits paired with morello cherries in "Black Forrest Cake" style. Also some dark chocolate, a little bit of smoked bacon and freshly planed wood. Animating. On the palate at the beginning the tough tannins are clearly present. But after ten minutes in the - voluminous - glass this is totally gone. The wine becomes smoother and smoother without losing any of its freshness. This is not a full-bodied "killer" Cab. This is a wonderfully balanced Cabernet Sauvignon which shows in an absolutely gorgeous way that "Perfection" is possible without high alcohol and without vinification to the limit.
I visited Corison in September 2015 on a very hot day. We arranged an appointment in forehand and everything was well prepared for our visit. The tasting menu was selected in an intelligent way and demonstrated the aging capabilities of the Corison Cabs in a very good way:
- 2012 Corazón Gewürztraminer
- 2012 Helios Cabernet Franc
- 2012 Corison Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2010 Corison Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2006 Corison Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
Taking with me a glass of the Corazón Gewürztraminer it was possible to see the whole area. It became obvious that Corison Winery, in contrast to other wineries I visited over the last ten years in Napa, is much better prepared for the present Californian dryness. The distance between the row of vines is significantly higher. This forward-looking winemaking idea was noticeable during my whole stay.
But coming back to the 2012 Napa Cab: As you have seen I tasted this wine already at the tasting room nearly one year ago. Since then the wine developed dramatically. It is already now after let's say 30 minutes decanting absolutely perfect drinkable. But already during the tasting at the winery it became obvious that the wines of Cathy Corison age very well. The 2006 we tasted this day was a little bit reluctant. Seemed to be waiting for another coming out. Luckywise just last week I could buy two bottles of the 1993 Corison Winery Napa Cab. I drunk a lot of outstanding Californian Cab from this vintage. So I am really looking forward to what these two bottles will offer. However I believe the 2012 Cab will have a very long life. 20 years plus.
Food pairing? At the moment nearly everything. The charm of this wine ennobles any dish. We drunk it with one of the most classical German dishes: "Grobe Bratwurst" with mashed potatoes and red cabbage. Stunning. The spiciness of the crispy Bratwurst harmonized congenially with the smooth but assertive freshness of the Cab. I know whal all readers are thinking: Bratwurst and a Corison Cab? Is this guy crazy? Try it. Otherwise you will miss an outstanding Wine-Food-Pairing.
13.9 % Alcohol
Tasted 2016-07-17
Medium, dark, ruby red. Lot of black fruits paired with morello cherries in "Black Forrest Cake" style. Also some dark chocolate, a little bit of smoked bacon and freshly planed wood. Animating. On the palate at the beginning the tough tannins are clearly present. But after ten minutes in the - voluminous - glass this is totally gone. The wine becomes smoother and smoother without losing any of its freshness. This is not a full-bodied "killer" Cab. This is a wonderfully balanced Cabernet Sauvignon which shows in an absolutely gorgeous way that "Perfection" is possible without high alcohol and without vinification to the limit.
Corison Winery - Places like these become more and more rare in high-end Napa
I visited Corison in September 2015 on a very hot day. We arranged an appointment in forehand and everything was well prepared for our visit. The tasting menu was selected in an intelligent way and demonstrated the aging capabilities of the Corison Cabs in a very good way:
- 2012 Corazón Gewürztraminer
- 2012 Helios Cabernet Franc
- 2012 Corison Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2010 Corison Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2006 Corison Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
The Corison Winery "Tasting Room"
Taking with me a glass of the Corazón Gewürztraminer it was possible to see the whole area. It became obvious that Corison Winery, in contrast to other wineries I visited over the last ten years in Napa, is much better prepared for the present Californian dryness. The distance between the row of vines is significantly higher. This forward-looking winemaking idea was noticeable during my whole stay.
The Corison rows of vines
But coming back to the 2012 Napa Cab: As you have seen I tasted this wine already at the tasting room nearly one year ago. Since then the wine developed dramatically. It is already now after let's say 30 minutes decanting absolutely perfect drinkable. But already during the tasting at the winery it became obvious that the wines of Cathy Corison age very well. The 2006 we tasted this day was a little bit reluctant. Seemed to be waiting for another coming out. Luckywise just last week I could buy two bottles of the 1993 Corison Winery Napa Cab. I drunk a lot of outstanding Californian Cab from this vintage. So I am really looking forward to what these two bottles will offer. However I believe the 2012 Cab will have a very long life. 20 years plus.
Food pairing? At the moment nearly everything. The charm of this wine ennobles any dish. We drunk it with one of the most classical German dishes: "Grobe Bratwurst" with mashed potatoes and red cabbage. Stunning. The spiciness of the crispy Bratwurst harmonized congenially with the smooth but assertive freshness of the Cab. I know whal all readers are thinking: Bratwurst and a Corison Cab? Is this guy crazy? Try it. Otherwise you will miss an outstanding Wine-Food-Pairing.
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