A stop to taste at Corison

Last week I had some time to spare on the way back to SFO and the winery tasting room was open. They also had some older vintages available but as they comped my tasting, I didn't want to seem greedy. Besides I already knew I liked those. ;-) Here are my brief notes on the wines I tried.

• 2011 Corison Gewürztraminer Corazón 90 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  I really enjoyed this one. Always looking for reasonably priced whites that don't need to be drunk immediately Very pretty nose of Lychees. Dry on the palate. Slight bitterness on finish which I find a lot in dry Gewurz. I don't love that, but its not too distracting. Bought a couple.

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• 2007 Corison Syrah Helios 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  This is a nice cooler climate styled Syrah. I don't know much about it or even if Atlas Peak is indeed cool climate. The nose has boysenberries and dark cherries. On the palate, this has nice minerality with boysenberry fruit. Nice finish. The tasting room sample was Coravined.

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• 2011 Corison Cabernet Franc Helios 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  This took me by surprise. Its really good. Sells for around $55. Just the right amount of ripeness. Drinks like a CA version of a Loire Cab Franc in that the nose has black cherries, green tobacco but very slight, cigar tobacco and slight spice notes. Great texture. Ripe on the plate with nothing green or under ripe. Long finish. I bought a couple. I never would have expected this in 2011, but it shows that one needs to taste the wine before making a judgment.

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• 2011 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Yeah, not a big fan of this one. Its good but I think it shows some of the tribulations of the vintage. Some might like this more than I for sure. To me, there is a green streak, slightly herbal, slightly bell pepper which I didn't like. The rest of the Cab is classic and that's good. Perhaps with time, this shows better.

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A final thought on the 2011 Cab. I know that it got some high scores from some who like the classic Napa profile of low alcohol, cassis and bell pepper. I can see how they liked this wine as well. The thing is, I like Corison wines a lot. They age great, but I like them young too. For whatever reason, this bottle didn't wow me like they usually do. Off bottle? Maybe. Off vintage? I think so. Needs time? There is the big question. I remember not like 2000 (and 1998) on release in a similar manner. I never thought that the 98's came around. On the other hand, the 2000's are drinking well today and have been for a couple of years. While I did not buy any, I would love to taste the 2011 in about 15 years. Perhaps I will regret not buying any. Of course, a great thing about Corison is that they often have library wines available.