2004 Hard Core

I now come to the finale of my tasting of some of the wines from the Core Winery.

I began with the 2005 Turchi Syrah, which I enjoyed very much. But then I was disappointed with the 2004 Core Red 163. Now, on to the 2004 Hard Core ($38). Would it be a pleasure or a dud?

The 2004 Hard Core is a blend of 43% Grenache, 32% Mourvedre, and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. Only 285 cases were made of this wine. This was a powerful wine, a dark and complex wine. There are dark berry flavors combined with an earthy taste and some black pepper and maybe even a bit of cinnamon. It had a very long finish. All of the flavors are well balanced and it is a very pleasurable wine. It actually paired well with a BBQ chicken pizza. This wine would stand up well to BBQ, game meats or even a nice steak.

I was very impressed with this wine and its price is reasonable for the high quality of this wine. A definite Drink & Buy.