Russian River 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

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 very nice but curiously seemed a bit behind the two prior vintages of this wine.  Perhaps a bit shutdown.  Still, it was very good. Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, slight smoke and an herbal streak (rosemary/tarragon?).  Medium bodied.  On the palate, there is nice cherry fruit, a bit stemmy with an underlying damp earthiness.  Moderate finish.  This will work better with food.  Pasta with mushrooms would be a nice choice.  It will be interesting to watch it develop Drink over the next five to seven years.  

This is an accessible Pinot Noir that has some seriousness to it as well.  More "old world" than a ripe fruit bomb.  Garnet in color with some purple swirls.  On the nose, it has a classic rhubarb, cranberries and cherries.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, rhubarb with some cherries.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This drinks well now on its own but is even better with food.  Lighter foods such as chicken salad are a nice match but this will work well with ribs r a burger off the grill.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

This sees 20% new oak.  Light green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has limes, lemons, and intriguing bit of wintergreen.  Clean.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is slightly chalky with lemon cream.  Light tannins.  The wintergreen returns on the finish along with a very slight bitter (lemon peel) note.  Tried again on day 2, it held up great.  This should drink well for five to seven years.  A nice match with seafood or salads but drinks well on its own, too.  

This is 100% Syrah with a 15.3% ABV.  That said, the alcohol isn't noticeable.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  Mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries with some spice and black pepper.  Full bodied.  On the palate, black raspberry fruit with underlying char and ash.  Light tannins.  Good finish.  At age 7 this may yet improve a bit but it just about at its prime drinking window.  It should drink well for another ten to twelve years.  This will go well  with roasted meats, fowl or veggies.  

Although young, this wine is a beauty.  Kistler used to have a lot of oak on its Chardonnays.  Some loved it, some didn't, but this wine seems to have backed off a bit on the oak and upped the acidity.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has some pineapple, and lemons.  With air, a lemon candy note comes thru.  There is a fair amount of oak showing too coming thru as caramel and vanilla but it is already integrating.  Full bodied with a lovely viscous, oily texture.  On the palate, this is crisp with nice minerality.  The lemon/lemon candy comes thru.  Long finish.  This drinks ni

I had high hopes for this wine, but it really didn't come together well.  Consumed over three nights, the first night was the best showing.  given the showing, it is possible this bottle had seen heat damage at some point although there were no obvious signs.  Garnet/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has candied cherries (think cough drops) with some plums.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the candied cherries carry thru along with a slight port-like note of alcohol.  Prune with heat on the finish.  I like these wine as a general rule and perhaps with some cellaring, this

This is my favorite Carlisle Syrah.  At age 8, it really was a bit young to be opened, but it was delicious after a couple of hours of air.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, bacon fat, black olives and white pepper.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black raspberry fruit over a charred earthiness.  Great balance.  Lively.  Deep.  Long finish.  This probably will continue to mature for another five to seven years, and be good for another ten after that.  It drinks great on its own and will work well with fatty meat dishes but also Indian or hea

A nice showing for this Cab which is drinking well but may yet improve.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty with nice cassis fruit and some baking spice.  On the palate, it presents as black cherry candy.  Delicious.  Medium tannins.  Nice finish.  This should drink well for the next ten to twelve years.  A nice wine with chili.