Sonoma County

• Alexander Valley
• Bennett Valley
• Best of Sonoma
• Dry Creek Valley
• Fort Ross/Seaview
• Moon Mountain
• Pine Mountain - Cloverdale Peak
• Russian River Valley
• Sonoma Coast
• Sonoma Mountain
• Sonoma Valley
• Knights Valley

Soft and unassuming, this Pinot Noir exhibits a quiet luxury. Texturally it is smooth and soft and almost belies, the vibrant fruit notes of blackberry, black and Bing cherry, steeped black tea leaf and fresh/cut garden herbs. The tannins and acidity are modest making for an enjoyable and haptic drinking experience. Comprised of 14 different Pinot Noir clones from the Quail Hill Vineyard, this is truly a wine that exceeds the sum of its parts.

This harkens back to more traditional, Italian Nebiolo, rather than a California iteration. Of course, that was their goal in planting their northern Sonoma property to begin with. The fruit is rather muted, the tannins fairly tight, and the acidity is noticeable. These are all traits of good European wine and it’s nice to see California making something that represents Nebbiolo’s true style. Though the tannins are a little tight decanting is not necessary, although an hour or so would do some good.

You probably have never heard of Carricante, the Italian grape that grows on Mount Etna. Centennial Mountain specifically pursued their exact location in Sonoma to bring the Italian Carricante to California, the first of its kind.

This remains my favorite wine in the Carlisle line-up.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, raspberries, nutmeg and other spices and slight char.  Lush texture!  Great energy and balance.  On the palate, this is young but delicious.  Flavors of black cherries, black raspberries and red raspberries.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and will work with bigger foods.  A nice choice with ribs or a (veggie) Burger off the grill.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

This was disgorged on March 21, 2024.  Golden in color, clear and bright with a nice mousse of tiny bubbles.  The nose has lemon, lemon cream, slight minerality and a bit of grapefruit.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is tight but opens nicely in the glass.  The grapefruit is more prevalent on the palate along with some toast and slight lemon.  Long finish.  This is a very nice sparkling wine that should pair well with almost any food.  It is still young and should develop with some cellar time.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  

Usually, I let these age more, but at age 7, this took about an hour to open and then was wonderful.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, charred meats, black pepper, wild herbs and slight violets.  Full  bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Lush flavors of black raspberries, slight black cherries, spice and char.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and would be great with slow cooked full bodied foods such and beef stew or Roasted Squash.  Drink over the  next twenty years.