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. Mike recently announced his retirement and subsequently 2024 will be the last vintage of wines produced by Carlisle.
Carlisle Vineyard, planted in 1927, lies in the Piner/Olivet area of the Russian River Valley. Around the intersection of these two roads you can find a rare clumping of old vineyards that have somehow survived the last 100+ years. Papera, Mancini, Saitone and Montafi to name a few. The vineyard is approximately 90% Zinfandel and a vast array of other field blend varietals.
I wrote about Carisle Vineyard previously in Top 10 Old Vine Zinfandel Vineyards.
Purple in color. 15% ABV. Sublime nose of black fruits, licorice and pepper. Full bodied with perfect acidity. Packed with dark juicy fruits and impeccably balanced. Black raspberry, blackberry liqueur, earth and white pepper on the palate. The finish is long and supple. Outstanding Zinfandel that has the components to drink well for another 2-3 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.