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.
Gold Mine Ranch was planted in 1914 by Charlie Derrick, just before riding off to join the Cavalry of World War I. The vineyard is situated in the southwest corner of Dry Creek Valley.
Bright crimson in color. 15.2% ABV. Red and black fruits, cream, milk chocolate and anise on the nose. Medium body with juicy acidity. Pretty delicious Zinfandel but slightly lacking the verve and energy that I typically expect from Carlisle. Cherries, blackberries, iron and white pepper on the palate. Medium length on the finish. The bar is so high for Mike Officer that despite being eminently drinkable this wine falls short of expectations. Drink over the next year or so.
My rating: 90 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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