2004 Core 163
From a 375
Tons of sweet brambly fruit and chaparral on the nose. This wine is a big bouncing baby. An attack on the senses. Sweet and pure with medium acid right through. Medium/full body. Red fruit and pepper go broad across the palate. Not enough experience with Core wines to make any predictions but it seems like it is drinking well now. As long as it does not start to add weight or become clumsier, I think it could be better in 18-24 months. Wish I had bought more. 91 pts
2005 Core Red Blend
From a 375
Where the 2004 163 was jumping out of the glass, the 05 Red just sat there. It took a good swirl for it to reveal its dark brambly fruits. I had poured both wines into decanters but after a small glass of this, I let it sit a little longer. At first the wine really lacked balance. The tart acids and herbs hit you right at the front. Over the course of the evening, the wine evened out. Cannot place the flavors but there were certainly some herb elements along with a touch of mint. The fruit was all jumbled up in the middle. A big wine. Will not open my next bottle for 2 years. Didn’t notice much tannic structure but there was certainly plenty of acid to hold it together. I look forward to re-visiting down the road to see if I move this up a few points. 88 pts
Cheers,
Jason