Dry Creek Valley

This is a blend of 77% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah, and 3% Alicante Bouschet.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is deep with black cherries, slight blueberries, sandalwood, and slight black pepper.  Medium bodied.  Light drying tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, black cherries and black raspberries with a bit of spice and pepper.  Good finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue for another five to eight years.  It is nice on its own and will work nicely with many foods.  It would work well with Roasted Chicken.  

Purple in color with ruby swirls, opaque and bright.  The nose is big with black cherries, cherries, slight chocolate and a hint of bramble.  Nice texture.  Good balance.  Light tannins.  On the palate, there is some complexity and depth.  Flavors of black cherries with some char.  Good finish.  This is drinking well now but should have another five to eight years left.  Nice on its own, this will need bolder foods.  It should go nicely with BBQ Spare Ribs.  

This was the lightest wine at a recent tasting of Carlisle wines.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cinnamon, black cherries and other spices.  light to medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black cherry fruit with a slight cough syrup note.  Moderate finish.  More of a "Claret" styled Zinfandel.  This is nice on its own but would be better with food.  A yellow curry dish would work well.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

Opened by a friend for my 66th.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, opaque and bright.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, spice, slight bell pepper and leather.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  great balance.  Plenty of depth and complexity.  On the palate, this is mature and drinking great.  Cassis, leather, slight black cherry and char.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own and worked well with a flat bread with onions and arugula.  It should still have another ten to fifteen years left in it.  

Cline makes some great value wines and this is one of them.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, raspberries, briar patch, and black pepper.  Medium bodied.  Slight tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is a bit short of jammy but in that direction.  Flavors of Cherries, Black cherries, and Raspberries.  Good finish.  This is more than an easy drinker, but it does go down smoothly.  Nice on its own, this will work great with a lot of foods.  A nice choice with ribs or a burger off the grill.  

This is 93% Zinfandel and 7% Syrah from Sonoma County.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight plums, an interesting note of menthol, and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Good acidity.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is juicy and delicious.  Black cherries with spice and slight char.  Long finish.  This is young but drinking well.  It is nice on its own and will work well with grilled meats and veggies.  Drink over the next seven to ten years. 

Though Zinfandel is California’s signature grape, much of what is made is simplistic, jammy and average. Good thing the folks at Quivera have always taken Zin seriously. Comprised of all Zin with 15% Petite Sirah, the Black Boar offers complex flavors of black cherry, blackberry, plum, bay leaf, current marmalade, with light green tea notes, rhubarb, smoked vanilla and subtle charred campfire. The overtness of the fruit is kept in check with moderate tannins and a smart oak program, which included French, American and Hungarian oak, for a total of just 18 months in barrel.

This is made in Solon, Ohio with purchased grapes from California.  It is a lighter styled, "Claret" Zinfandel.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has raspberries, cranberries and slight bramble.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is solid.  Raspberries and bramble.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This drinks easy on its own but is probably better with food.  It went well with just sitting around having mixed nuts and cheeses.  Drink over the next few years.  

For 20 years Quivira Vineyards has produced a Provencal-style Rosé with Grenache as the lead variety. Additionally there is also 20% Primitivo, and smaller amounts of Counoise, Petite Sirah and Mourvèdre. There is soft fruit and soft acidity here, a wine that doesn’t overshadow any companion foods. Strawberry, stone, fruits, light citrus, black cherry, rhubarb, and subtle lemon lime fill out the palate. This is not a wine that announces itself and takes control, this is a subtle wine that is meant to be part of the meal.