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.
Opaque purple in color. 15.1% ABV. 88% Zinfandel, 6% Petite Sirah and 6% Alicante Bouschet. Fantastic nose of brambly red fruits, cloves and licorice. Rich, plush and creamy with loads of acidity. Raspberry, blackberry, earth and spice on the palate. The finish is exquisite. As always, a wine to drink over the next 2-3 years so you can keep your hands off the single vineyard Zins. An absolute steal at $25.
My rating: 92 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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