North Bay Woman

S P R I N G 2 0 1 4 | NORTH BAY WOMAN 53 Corison 2010 Kronos Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($135) This classically beautiful wine comes from Cathy Corison, who's been crafting exceptional Napa Valley Cabs since the `70s. When other winemakers began moving toward richer, high- er-octane wines in the late `80s and `90s, Corison bucked the trend by continuing to make wines of elegance and balance. Corison's Kronos estate vineyard near St. Helena is one of Napa Valley's oldest vineyards, and its gnarly vines produce some very special wines. The 2010 Kronos is bright cranberry in color, and has a lightly floral aroma accented with ripe blackberries. The wine is powerful yet elegant, with juicy black fruit flavors, firm tannins and a long finish. It's deli- ciously drinkable now, with decanting, but should age beautifully for another 20 years. www.corison.com. Stephen & Walker 2012 Botrytis Chardonnay Mendocino Ridge ($65 mL) When making a late-harvest wine, it's not easy to get the balance right between luscious sweetness and tangy acidity, but Nancy Walker captured it perfectly in this wine. Whether she's making Howell Mountain Cabernet or Mendocino Ridge Chardonnay, her wines display a boldness that's balanced with finesse. Rather than imposing her will on the Stephen & Walker wines, she likes to let the grapes do the talking. Walker's 2012 Botrytis Chardonnay is a great example. It's made with grapes infected with beneficial Botrytis mold, which creates incredible concentration in the wine. It's golden in color, with come-hither aromas of apricots and honey. The wine has a silky texture, vibrant acidity and volup- tuous flavors of ripe apricots and stone fruit. www.trustwine.com Lambert Bridge 2008 Merlot Sonoma County ($50) Dry Creek Valley isn't known for its Bordeaux varietals, but if more wineries in the AVA made Merlot as good as this, it would be. The wine was produced by two terrific wine- makers: Jill Davis, who joined Lambert Bridge in 2005, and Jennifer Higgins, who signed on four years later. Both are meticulous in their approach, manicuring grape clusters and picking row by row. The resulting wines have stunning purity of fruit, with wonderful natural acidity. The 2008 Merlot shows just how beautiful the grape can be in the right hands. The wine is complex and elegant, with aromas of cedar and roses. It's silky in texture and well structured, with flavors of plums, cherries and cocoa. www.lambertbridge.com > 1 2 3 Photo courtesy of Corison Winery Cathy Corison Corison Winery Corsion 2010 Kronos Cabernet Photo courtesy of Trust Winery Limited Jill Davis Lambert Bridge Lambert Bridge 2008 Merlot Photo courtesy of Lambert Bridge Jennifer Higgins Lambert Bridge Lambert Bridge 2008 Merlot Photo courtesy of Saintsbury Chris Kajani Saintsbury Saintsbury 2010 Brown Ranch Pinot Noir Photo courtesy of J Vineyards & Winery Melissa Stackhouse J Vineyards & Winery J Vineyards & Winery 2012 Chardonnay Nancy Walker Stephen & Walker Trust Winery Limited Stephen & Walker 2012 Botrytis Chardonny Photo from Stephen & Walker/Trust Winery

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