Candy Core 2004 Late Harvest Grenache

This was the second pour of the night after the first attempt at an after dinner drink failed. We had held onto a late harvest zinfandel from Mt Vernon Winery for a little too long although I thought it was WAY to early for it to be bad.

The great thing about it going bad though was that we got to open up this wine. I like to call my late harvest wines, "ports with training wheels," because they don't have that alcohol bite but they have that jammy, raisiny, syrupy feel to them. This one would have gone great with a cigar as it had a nice smoky taste, a little bit of spice and leather.

If you are up in Santa Ynez, Core Winery is DEFinitely worth a spot on your list of tasting venues. It may look unassuming but the wines and the family that owns it are both top notch.