Corison Cabernet Franc Helios Sunbasket Vineyard

This was corked with a wet cardboard nose and wine completed muted on taste.

Very much on the darker side of recent Corison Helios CF vintages. Blackberry fruit, with leaf, coffee and earth notes. I think Galloni’s review from Vinous is spot on - there is a slightly roasted quality here. It also needs more acidity. The 2016 is far better! Drink now.

On first opening, this is dominated by surprisingly bright and tart cranberry fruit, not entirely unpleasant, but odd, like some unexpected hybrid of a CF and a Mendocino Pinot. But after half an hour in the glass, the rest of the profile wakes up and comes forward. The tartness unfolds into a top note of heady florality, while deeper and darker fruit keeps the wine better anchored to the ground than it had been. I’ll be very interested to see …

incredibly smooth cab franc from Cathy Corison, a little green pepper on the nose but blackberries and other dark fruits as well. on the palate, medium acidity and medium tannins that have certainly relaxed. You can still get a little green peppercorn and plenty of black fruit as well, not too ripe but not too tart.

Beautiful Cab Franc, medium bodied with luscious fruit in the middle. A classy wine.

Ganske parfymert, krydret, bare et hint av grønn paprika, noe mint; tørrende, men ikke fra fat, strukturert, middels vekt, OK lengde - men heller ikke mer, strukturert og tørrende finish

Richer than most Corison wines I have tried, this is still restrained for Napa. Deep red fruit, a bit of earth, and just barely there fresh herb tones create a balanced aromatic, and fresh palate presence. It’s mid-weight for a Napa wine, so it packs plenty of flavor. No sense of overdone richness, or extreme late harvest. There’s good tannic structure to keep thing in line. Could be a candidate for some significant cellar time, though I really enjoyed it …

Second bottle.