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 added their first whites, two blends from historic, old-vine vineyards plus Sonoma County’s first ever Grüner Veltliner.
Rossi Ranch was planted by Carlos Rossi in the early 1900’s and is situated in the Sonoma Valley AVA.
Magenta in color. 14.9% ABV. Savory nose of red fruits, garrigue and kirsch. Medium body with medium acidity. Somewhat lighter in style than I am accustomed to from Carlisle but I don’t have much experience with their Rhone style varieties. Kirsch, strawberries, Asian spice and white pepper on the palate. Medium length on the finish. Best over the next 3-5 years.
My rating: 91 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 2017 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings.
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