History
Tchelistcheff planted the site in the early 1950s and called it his sunbasket, for the open western alcove of valley floor that gives it an unusually long run of afternoon light. Cathy Corison bought its fruit continuously from 1990, and in 2015, after twenty-five years as a customer, she and William Martin bought the vineyard and converted it to certified organic farming.
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 Bale gravelly loam, packed with rounded river cobbles that drain instantly, so the vines run short of water at veraison.
Vines and Blocks
Cabernet Sauvignon across most of the property, managed in isolated blocks. Six rows at the far edge 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.