Zinfandel

This is a nice, inexpensive, middle of the road in style, Lodi zinfandel.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, raspberries, slight bramble and spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, nice black cherry fruit.  Easy drinking.  Drinks well on its own and will work great with a burger off the grill.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

One of my favorite Zinfandels.  This is a robust Zin, but not over the top.  It is quite concentrated and delicious.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls.  The nose has black raspberries, bramble, and slight pepper.  Full bodied.  Great, almost silky texture.  On the palate, juicy black raspberries, black cherries over a slight gravel base.  A bit candied but very concentrated.  Long finish.  This is so good now, but will continue to evolve a bit.  It depends on what you like in Zins as to how long to hold.  This should drink well for at least fifteen years, but that energy and robust qua

Peter Rosback releases his wines early, so it is nice to get a taste.  These are from a vineyard that is about one hundred years old and was reclaimed around 20 years ago.  It is an interesting take on a grape not often found in those parts.  This years version seems a bit lighter on the fruit with a nice spicy quality to it.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, cinnamon, baking spices and slight sour cherry note.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is a bit softer in texture.  Light tannins.  Cherry fruit with underlying spice.  This is bottled under screwcap.  Of course

This is a wine made by Rhone wine consultant Philippe Cambie and Saxum’s Justin Smith.  It is a blend of 76% Zinfandel, 8% Syrah, 6% Mataró, 6% Petite Sirah, and 4% Tempranillo.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, slight bramble, dust, black cherries and spice.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Delicious.  Serious tannins.  Black raspberries, plums and spices over a gravelly bed.  Long finish.  Pop and pour, this was drinking great from the start.  It's hard to say how well this well age.  The label says 16.1% abv but there is no heat.  Still, at t

What a great showing for this wine.  This might be the best vintage of it to date.  It is 85% Zinfandel and 15% Petite Sirah and Syrah.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has plums, black cherries, cedar and bramble.  The wine sees 25% new oak.  It has a soft and accessible texture.  Delicious.  It is a jammy styled Zinfandel with black cherry fruit and underlying minerality.  There is a bit of warmth (almost a burn) that is actually very nice on the finish.  Served with a wide variety of wines, this was the groups favorite for the night.  Like many of this wineries wines, price

This is a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Charbono.  It is made to be a fruit forward delicious blend that drinks well right away.  And it achieves that.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black pepper, slight black raspberries and roasted meats and herbs.  Very nice.  On the palate, this is big.  Tasty with a wall of fruit.  Medium tannins.  Long finish.  There is some complexity and depth to it.  It drinks great now on its own and will work with spicy barbecue.  It probably won't improve with cellaring, but should cellar wel

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 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

Always one of my favorite Zin's, in part for its uniqueness, it was wonderful concentration.  Made from vines that getting close to 100 years old.  This vineyard had been abandoned and then resurrected in the 1980's.  Style wise it is middle of the road for Zin.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, baking spices and just a bit of char.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  At 14.8% Alc, this is not super high for a Zin.  Lots of cherry and some charred cherry fruit.  Very concentrated.  Lighter tannins.  Nice finish.  This drinks well young but does age nice with goo