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. Many of these vineyards are heritage sites planted by Italian immigrants and date back to the late 1800s . They have also recently added their first whites, two blends from historic, old-vine vineyards plus Sonoma County’s first ever Grüner Veltliner.
Carlisle Vineyard was planted in 1927 by Alcide Pelletti on the eastern bench of the Laguna de Santa Rosa flood plain in the Russian River Valley.
Ruby red in color. 14.8% ABV. 87% Zinfandel and 13% Mixed blacks including Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Grand Noir, Peloursin and Tempranillo. Red fruits, rose petal and anise on the nose. Medium body with the health acidity I’ve come to rely on with Carlisle. Exceptional balance. Raspberry, cherry, chocolate truffle and pepper on the palate. Stunning Zinfandel that can be drank over the next 3 years.
My rating: 94 points.
Current vintages of the various Carlisle wines 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.
I’ve wrote about Carlisle previously in Winery Mailing Lists: The Fab 5 and The Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings.
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