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.
Saitone Ranch is situated in the Russian River Valley on the east side of the Laguna de Santa Rosa flood plain and was planted in 1895.
Maroon in color. 15% ABV. Stunning nose of red and blue fruits, licorice and a hint of peach. Medium body with mouth watering acidity. Exceptional balance and tremendous purity of fruit. Raspberry liqueur, blueberries and pepper on the palate. The finish is long, plush and spicy. This was the first vintage of Saitone Ranch from Mike Officer. What a treat! 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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