Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was founded in 1998 by Mike and Kendall Officer. Their passion is clear: small lots of Zinfandel and Syrah from exceptional, historic vineyards.
The 2009 Sonoma County Syrah is composed of 39% Sonoma Valley Syrah from Rossi Ranch, 23% Paso Robles Syrah, 19% Russian River Syrah from Papa’s Block and 19% Sonoma Mountain Syrah from Steiner Vineyard.
Magenta in color. 15.2% ABV. Aromas of meat, olives and black cherries. Violets, game, dark fruits, pepper and olive brine on the palate. Super concentration and extraction. Great acidity and sufficient tannins. Long finish. I would love to stick this wine in a Cote Rotie tasting!
The ‘ 09 Carlisle Sonoma County Syrah got tremendous press upon release when it received a 97 point rating from the Wine Spectator. I’m not going to go there but for $22.50 from the winery this is flat out one of the best Syrah values in all of California.
My rating: 92 points.
Current vintages of the various Carlisle Zinfandels are available via the mailing list, which is exceptionally long. Several retail outlets in California stock Carlisle, but you need to check with them at the time the winery releases their wines in the Spring and Fall.
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