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.
Papa’s Block is a special section of Atoosa’s vineyard and is located in the Russian River Valley.
Opaque purple in color. 15.1% ABV. Savory nose of herbs, iron and olives. Medium to full body with strong acidity. Rich and plush with fantastic mouth feel. Blueberries, cassis liqueur and roasted meats on the palate. The finish is exceptional. Gorgeous Syrah that should drink well for another 2-4 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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