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.
Crimson in color. 15.2% ABV. Sublime nose of red and blue fruits, pepper and a hint of peach. Full bodied and bursting with acidity. Plush, opulent and so very smooth on the palate. Exceptional balance. Raspberries, boysenberries and Asian spices on the palate. The wine finishes strong. Glorious Zinfandel from one of the top old vine vineyards in the Russian River Valley. Drink over the next 2-3 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 2016 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings.
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