Dark violet in color looking younger than its 13 years. Nose is deep and dark with aromas of blackberries, black olives, coffee grounds, and road tar as well as a menthol component developing with time in the glass. Full bodied in the mouth with impressive palate impact echoing all the dark black aromas and showing persistence on the finish. This wine is likely to have a long life ahead. This vintage of The Core has one of the darkest aromatic and flavor profiles I’ve come across in Napa cabernet. It doesn’t seem to play much in either the tenor or baritone ranges – spending most of its time in the lower registers of the bass notes. While there is a suggestion of purple fruit here, the wine gives the overall impression of dark black qualities at this point in its life. Was perhaps a bit more varied on the second night. Obviously well-made with a level of gravitas from the deep dark profile, but in the end, probably not my stylistic cup of (black) tea.
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Delicious bottle of your typical $120 Napa cab. Excellent fruit and weight. Not at all hedonistic but with good clean fruit. No way you can mistake the wine for anything that is not a good Napa cab. Good acidity and blue / black fruit all the way. Drinking very well right now with no signs of being losing its power although I suspect this is a wine to be drank within the next 2 or 3 years to take advantage of its fruit.
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Opened for a birthday dinner. A sticky cloying, grapey alcoholic mess. Nose of rotten fruit. Barely drinkable. We left half the bottle. I don't think the wine was spoiled. I'm not a Cabernet drinker, but I just don't get what others see in this style.
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5/28/2020 - BenSteven Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark violet in color looking younger than its 13 years. Nose is deep and dark with aromas of blackberries, black olives, coffee grounds, and road tar as well as a menthol component developing with time in the glass. Full bodied in the mouth with impressive palate impact echoing all the dark black aromas and showing persistence on the finish. This wine is likely to have a long life ahead. This vintage of The Core has one of the darkest aromatic and flavor profiles I’ve come across in Napa cabernet. It doesn’t seem to play much in either the tenor or baritone ranges – spending most of its time in the lower registers of the bass notes. While there is a suggestion of purple fruit here, the wine gives the overall impression of dark black qualities at this point in its life. Was perhaps a bit more varied on the second night. Obviously well-made with a level of gravitas from the deep dark profile, but in the end, probably not my stylistic cup of (black) tea.
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1/10/2020 - wren460 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious bottle of your typical $120 Napa cab. Excellent fruit and weight. Not at all hedonistic but with good clean fruit. No way you can mistake the wine for anything that is not a good Napa cab. Good acidity and blue / black fruit all the way. Drinking very well right now with no signs of being losing its power although I suspect this is a wine to be drank within the next 2 or 3 years to take advantage of its fruit.
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2/18/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Tampa Spring Break (the third); 2/16/2018-2/18/2018 (Various Tampa locations (Seasons 52, Capital Grille, Berns etc.)): Wine #7: Definitely new world, more fruit, soft and almost velvety in nature but with some acidity in there as well. Moderate age. Some spice and herbal.
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3/14/2017 - dismdct Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Opened for a birthday dinner. A sticky cloying, grapey alcoholic mess. Nose of rotten fruit. Barely drinkable. We left half the bottle. I don't think the wine was spoiled. I'm not a Cabernet drinker, but I just don't get what others see in this style.
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7/13/2016 - jhieb Likes this wine: 94 Points
Young and fresh, with loads of tannin and structure. There is no reason not to enjoy this now, but I'm sure it has a long life ahead of it.
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