Corison Winery
Cathy Corison makes Cabernet to age, off benchland between Rutherford and St Helena, and nothing else. Her July note says 2026 hit veraison earlier than she can remember.
Why go
Corison buys great benchland and makes artisanal, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon that speaks of place.
1 It is a small family-owned working winery and the visit is arranged rather than dropped into.1 The vineyard notes are the tell: in July 2026 she wrote, After the warmest March on record, it's no surprise that 2026 has brought the earliest veraison in our memory.
1 Grace Corison came back in 2020 and has run the sustainability work since, which is what the house credits for its Golden Vines award.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Cabernet. That is what Corison makes, and the whole argument is that it wants time.1
- Avoid: treating it like a Highway 29 drop-in. This is a working cellar and the visit is booked.1
Good to know
- Booking: essential. The winery's visit page was not read this pass, so ask for prices and times when you call.
- Award: the house reports the Golden Vines Sustainability Award, presented in November at a Miami event. It publishes no year for it.1
- Hygiene: not established. No inspection instrument for this county is on file here.
Verdict
should-visit — Cathy Corison buys benchland between Rutherford and St Helena and makes one thing out of it, Cabernet built to age, which in a valley that will sell you six versions of anything is a position. Her own July note tells you the 2026 crop hit veraison earlier than she can remember after the warmest March on file, and a grower who writes like that is worth an hour of your day. Grace Corison has run the sustainability work since 2020 and the house reports a Golden Vines award for it, undated on their own page. No critic was read here, which is why the rung is a should and not a must.