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.
James Berry Vineyard is situated in Paso Robles and is tended to by Justin Smith of Saxum Vineyards. The “Carlisle” block of James Berry Vineyard is located just below the terraced “Bone Rock” section and is planted to Syrah clones 470 and 174.
Magenta in color. 14.9% ABV. Savory nose of blue and black fruits, game and violets. Medium body with perfect acidity. Seamless and plush with loads of structure. Blueberries, coffee, anise and minerals on the palate. The finish is exceedingly long with gritty, chalky tannins. Super Syrah that is probably at its best over the next 1-3 years.
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 2016 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings.
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