History
Tchelistcheff planted the site in the early 1950s and called it his sunbasket, for the exceptional amount of sunshine in that corner of the valley. Cathy Corison bought its fruit for more than two decades, and in 2015 she and William Martin bought the vineyard and converted it to organic farming (it is now certified organic).
The Site
A flat shelf a short way north of the Corison winery on the St. Helena highway corridor, inside the gravelly apron that runs between Rutherford and St. Helena at the foot of the Mayacamas. The soil is classic alluvial gravelly loam of the western valley bench.
Vines and Blocks
Cabernet Sauvignon across most of the property, managed in isolated blocks. Several rows are planted to Cabernet Franc, bottled separately in tiny quantity as Helios.
The Wines
Where Kronos is brooding, the Sunbasket Cabernet is the perfumed one: red cherry, blueberry and rose petal, lighter on its feet, with the same low-alcohol structure that runs through everything Corison makes.