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 .
Dupratt Vineyard is located on the Mendocino Ridge only 5 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The vineyard was planted in 1916.
Dark red in color. 14.5% ABV. Beautiful nose of bright red fruits, licorice and baking spices. Medium to full bodied with mouth watering acidity. Absolutely packed with ripe, juicy fruits. Strawberry, raspberry, earth and pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Charming Zinfandel and my favorite Dupratt to date. Best over the next 1-2 years.
My rating: 94 points.
I can make an argument that Carlisle is the best Zinfandel producer in the state of California. 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 had a chance to visit with Mike last Summer and wrote about that in The 2022’s Out of Barrel with Mike Officer at Carlisle.