Russian River Valley

This is another take on fruit from this vineyard by a quality producer.  It is a bit lower in ripeness and alcohol than the other producers I have tried but just as good.  Deep ruby in color with some purple swirls.  On the nose there is cherries, slight sour cherries, still a bit of bramble and a hint of gravel.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is concentrated with nice energy.  Cherry and black cherry fruit over minerality.  Some depth and complexity.  Delicious.  Juicy acidity.  Nice finish.  This is drinking quite well and is at the point of turning more claret in style.  Whether you

This is this excellent Zinfandel producer's basic wine.  It is a very nice value.  In terms of style, it is middle of the road between a fruit bomb and a claret styled Zin.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls.  The nose is nice with cherries, black cherries, slight char and bramble.  On the palate, the cherries come thru.  This drinks easy with a slight complexity.  Some cough syrupy notes on the finish.  This probably should be consumed over the next three to five years.  Nice on its own, this will work well with burgers or ribs off the grill.  

This is a pretty classic RRV Pinot Noir.  It skirts the line between elegance and brawn nicely.  A nice value for a Pinot Noir of this quality.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has sour cherries, slight root beer, and baking spices.  Really a great texture.  Creamy but with some cut to it.  It dances on the palate which has plenty of cherry fruit and sunshine.  Slight char note underlying the fruit.  Nice finish.  This is young and needs some cellaring or air.  It unwinds a bit in the glass but gives the impression of more to come.  It should be cellared for three to five more ye

This was the winner of a recent tasting of California Chardonnays.  Very impressive showing and much better than expected.  I have always like their reds, but I believe this was the first Chardonnay I have tried from them.  Green gold in color.  The nose is really interesting with ginger ale notes along with nice minerality and slight pears.  On the palate, this is clean with great minerality.  Just a slight kiss of vanilla.  Deep with a nice complexity.  This didn't change much over night two.  It should make great drinking over the next five to seven years but likely longer if well stored

This is my favorite wine from all of the Carlisle offerings.  And, it seems that Mike Officer really seems to excel in "off" vintages such as 2011 or 2017.  While still very young, this is a beautiful wine.  Deep purple in color, a thin ruby rim.  The nose has black cherries, plums, slight cedar/bramble and just a hint of roasted herbs.  On the palate, the texture is the thing.  Almost seamless.  Of course, it is also delicious, if still young.  Firmer tannins for a Zin.  It takes about an hour or two to open.  This went great with some homemade pizza.  It should continue to improve for the

What a great showing for this wine.  Gorgeous.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, char, bramble and baking spices.  Full bodied.  Lush and luxurious texture.  Lots of energy though.  It drinks (too) easily.  Delicious but also has a depth and complexity.  Lots of black cherries, black raspberries and black pepper on the palate.  Long finish.  This should continue to drink well for ten years at least but it will lose its vibrancy and be replaced with more complexity.  It would be a shame to miss it now.  It will work great with grille

This is one of the best Syrah's out of Sonoma County.  It is built for the long haul so make sure to let it rest in the cellar or give it plenty of air.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, roasted meats and slight root beer note which was interesting.  Full bodied.  On the palate, lots of black raspberry fruit starting to layer with a charred earthiness and slight bacon notes.  This still has medium tannins.  Great balance and energy.  Long finish.  This may yet improve, but is more likely about as good as it will get.  No hurry, this

Nice to revisit this wine.  It was quite rambunctious on release and while still more of a brawny Zin it has started the evolution to more claret in style.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  The nose has raspberries, black cherries, some spice and black pepper.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Plenty of raspberries and cherries with some dry charred earthiness.  There is some warmth on the finish but not enough to be a concern.  There does seem to be enough fruit to last, so the question is what you are looking for in a Zinfandel.  If you want big and bold drink now, but if claret s

What a pretty Zinfandel.  Not a monster in any way.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  Rather light looking, just on appearance I would not have guessed Zinfandel.  On the nose, this has raspberries, slight cherries, a bit of bramble, black pepper and vanilla.  The label lists this as 17.3% Alcohol.  Whoa.  Not a trace on the nose or palate though.  Even the texture, which can be bolstered by alcohol, doesn't reveal the high level.  The palate does give cherries, slight Framboise, with underlying char.  There is depth and complexity here.  And deliciousness.  I would guess that this

Pop and pour, this never really showed as much as hoped for.  Solid but not more.  Maybe just in a weird phase right now.  Purple in color.  The nose has nice cassis with a bit of baking spice.  Full bodied.  The cassis carries thru to the palate.  Clean.  No hard edges.  Nice finish.  Not a lot of complexity at this point.  Light tannins.  Moderate finish.  Worked well with some Italian food.  No signs of age, it might be better to wait a few years on this and check back in.