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 . Papera Ranch is situated in the Russian River Valley at the intersection of Piner and…
Welcome to the latest installment of The Week in Zinfandel. If I missed your post or story please send me a link and I will be sure to include it next week. Zinfandel Chronicles writes A Visit With Will Bucklin at Old Hill Ranch. Randy Caparoso writes Phenomenal Three-way Blends Made from Lodi Grapes by Sandlands, McCay, Marchelle and Neyers.…
This past Saturday as the storm was slowly forming over Northern California I had the opportunity to taste through the 2019 Limerick Lane Zinfandel lineup with winemaker Chris Pittenger. Limerick Lane Winery is in the Russian River Valley just south of the town of Healdsburg. The Del Fava family planted the oldest currently producing vineyard at Limerick Lane in 1910, a…
I have been a fan of the wines from Old Hill Ranch dating back to the glory days of the Ravenswood Single Vineyard Zin series in the early to mid 1990’s. Somehow though in all my visits to Sonoma over the last 25 years a visit to Old Hill Ranch has always eluded me. This past Saturday I was finally…
I had the opportunity earlier this week to pay a visit to Carlisle Winery and catch up with Mike Officer. I’ve been on the Carlisle mailing list for almost 20 years. The first vintage I purchased was the ’02’s. Prior to tasting wine though, Mike and I walked both Carlisle Vineyard and Papera Vineyard. Carlisle vineyard was planted in 1927…
By the time you are reading this I am probably somewhere in the Russian River Valley sampling some of my favorite Zinfandels. As I was planning this weeks excursion I found myself wondering what is the right number of winery visits per day? The visits I have planned will include vineyard tours, tasting and likely some barrel samples. A few…
Robert Biale Vineyards in Napa has its roots in the 1930s, when the Biale family started growing Zinfandel grapes and other produce on the outskirts of Napa. The family grapes mostly were sold to local wineries, though the Biales saved some to make wine for the family. The winery was formally founded in 1991. The estate grows Zinfandel and Petite…
Welcome to the latest installment of The Week in Zinfandel. If I missed your post or story please send me a link and I will be sure to include it next week. Costco Wine Blog reviews the 2018 Di Arie Break Away Zinfandel. Wine Spectator writes Know Your Grapes. Wine Folly writes Taste Napa Valley – Learn by Drinking Course.…
Limerick Lane Winery is in the Russian River Valley just south of the town of Healdsburg. The Del Fava family planted the oldest currently producing vineyard at Limerick Lane in 1910, a field blend consisting mostly of Zinfandel. In 1977, the Del Favas sold their thirty acre property to brothers Michael and Tom Collins. The two brothers began by selling…
Alberto Rafanelli, an Italian immigrant, first founded A. Rafanelli Winery in the early 1900’s. It wasn’t until the early 70’s that Alberto’s son, Americo, came out with the present day label and started selling the wine commercially. David and Patty Rafanelli now run the winery and a 4th generation Rafanelli, their daughter Shelly, is the winemaker. The winery is perhaps…