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 . Expect to see a Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Montecillo Vinyard and a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir in the near future.
Papa’s Block is a special section of Atoosa’s vineyard and is located in the Russian River Valley.
Dark crimson in color. 14.5% ABV. Savory nose of black fruits, olive brine and creosote. Medium to full bodied with medium acidity. Rich, plush and fruit forward. Blackberry, cassis, licorice and blood on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long and silky. Just another reminder that although I follow Carlisle primarily for the Zins, I need to sneak a bottle or two of Syrah into my order later this month. Best over the next 2-4 years.
My rating: 93 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 2018 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings. I also had a chance to visit Mike Officer recently and wrote about that in An Afternoon at Carlisle Winery.