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

This remains my favorite Carlisle Zinfandel year in and year out.  There are lots of reasons, but chief among them is the texture.  So rich and lush yet the wine has so much balance and energy.   A blend of 96% Zinfandel and 4% Carignan.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with raspberries, black raspberries, slight blueberries, smoke and slight bramble.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, black raspberries, raspberries and slight black cherries with smoke and some dry earthiness.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This should drink well over the next ten to

Consistently one of the great values in California Syrah.  Deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, slight char, black pepper and roasted herbs.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Black raspberry fruit with underlying meatiness and char.  Delicious.  Nice finish.  This will drink well over the next ten to twelve years.  A nice match with a burger or ribs off the grill.  

There is not a lot of great Riesling bottles from California, but this one is consistently pretty good and perhaps a bit better in this vintage.  Light gold/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with apples and some minerality.  Light to medium bodied.  On the palate, this is dry with moderately crisp acidity.  Green apple notes carry thru to the palate.  Nice finish.  This should drink well over the next seven to ten years.  This can be consumed with or without food.  Shellfish would be a nice choice.  

Not the best vintage for this wine but it still showed nicely.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries and spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, there is some complexity.  This seems to be at or maybe just past peak.  Sour cherries with an underlying spice.  Moderate finish.  Drink over the next five years.  For those who like sweetbreads, this would be a nice match.  

Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has some funk with black cherry fruit.  On the palate, there is plenty of depth.  It is very tight and needs more time.  Some black cherry and sour cherry fruit with underlying earthiness.  Nice finish.  Probably best to hold another five to seven years and then drink for twenty after that.  This would work well with Grilled Salmon.  Lots of upside for those who are patient.  

Very nice showing for this.  Seems to be just about at peak, of course, noting that Zinfandel matures earlier and Petite Sirah later.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, black cherries, raspberries along with some leather and minerality.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has a nice complexity.  Also very tasty.  Layers of fruit (black and red raspberries) with some underlying minerality.  Nice finish.  This should have another five to seven more years and probably more.  It drinks well on its own and will work  well with all but the lightest foods.  A nice w

From Mike Officer's home vineyard, the Carlisle Zin is great in every vintage but in 2018 they continued to exceed expectations.  A blend of mostly Zinfandel (86%) and 14% mixed "black" grapes including Alicante Bouschet and Cinsault from 91-year-old vines. Inky purple swirls with deep ruby hues make for a very attractive appearance.  Opaque and bright.  The nose is concentrated with raspberries, black cherries, slight pine and spice.  A seamless texture that makes this so accessible even while being so young.  On the palate, black raspberries, slight blueberries, black cherries with underl

This is the 54th consecutive vintage of this wine.  It is a blend of 71% Zinfandel, 19% Carignane, 7% Petite Sirah, and 3% Alicante Bouschet.  Another job well done!  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with raspberries, black raspberries, slight char, plum and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Great texture.  On the palate, plums and black raspberries with some raspberries with underlying char and graphite.  Great liveliness.  Nice finish.  This wine is already drinking well and while it may change a bit, it should continue to do so for another 20 years.  This is pretty food

Certainly not as good as the 2017, I am wondering if I got an "off" bottle although there are no noticeable flaws.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has pears, apples with some minerality.  Also some fresh cut lumber.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is solid.  Apples with a touch of cut.  Moderate finish.  This is should appeal to a wide variety of people (although the price won't).  Drink over the next ten years.  It works better on its own but would work well with grilled salmon.  

This is a blend of 67% Barbera and 33% Sangiovese from Sonoma.  A very interesting take on "Italian Red".  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, black cherries, tree bark, and char.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, nice black cherry fruit with a touch of acidity.  A bit of smoke.  Nice finish.  This worked better with food.  It should be consumed over the next three to five years.   This worked well with pasta in a tomato sauce.