Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2011 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County – Bottle Notes

Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was founded in 1998 by Mike and Kendall Officer. Their passion is clear: Small lots of Zinfandel and Syrah from exceptional, historic vineyards. The 2011 version of the Sonoma County Zinfandel is sourced from Fanucchi Wood Road, Carlisle, Rowe, Rossi Ranch, Lingenfelder and Bedrock Vineyards. Garnet in color. 14.9% ABV. Red fruits, vanilla and a touch…

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Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2006 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlo’s Ranch – Bottle Notes

Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was founded in 1998 by Mike and Kendall Officer. Their passion is clear: Small lots of Zinfandel and Syrah from exceptional, historic vineyards. Carlo’s Ranch Vineyard is now known as Papera Ranch Vineyard. The vineyard is close to Carlisle Vineyard and was planted in 1934. While many old-vine vineyards contain plenty of mixed black varieties, most…

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2010 Carlisle Three Birds
Bottle Notes, Grenache

2010 Carlisle Three Birds – Bottle Notes

Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was founded in 1998 by Mike and Kendall Officer. Their passion is clear: Small lots of Zinfandel and Syrah from exceptional, historic vineyards. The wine is 80% Grenache sourced from Teldeschi and Rossi Ranch Vineyards, 15% Mourvèdre from Bedrock Vineyard and 5% Syrah. 15.5% ABV. Bright crimson in color. Intoxicating aromas of raspberry liqueur, kirsch and…

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Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2006 Carlisle Zinfandel Pietro’s Ranch – BottleNotes

Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was founded in 1998 by Mike and Kendall Officer. Their passion is clear: small lots of Zinfandel and Syrah from exceptional, historic vineyards. This particular vineyard was planted in 1905 by Italo Barbieri for his brother Pietro. From a small village in Tuscany, Italo was responsible for planting many of the vineyards in the Piner/Olivet region…

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2009 Carlisle Sonoma County Syrah
Bottle Notes, Syrah

2009 Carlisle Syrah Sonoma County – Bottle Notes

Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was founded in 1998 by Mike and Kendall Officer. Their passion is clear: small lots of Zinfandel and Syrah from exceptional, historic vineyards. The 2009 Sonoma County Syrah is composed of 39% Sonoma Valley Syrah from Rossi Ranch, 23% Paso Robles Syrah, 19% Russian River Syrah from Papa’s Block and 19% Sonoma Mountain Syrah from Steiner…

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2009 Ancient Vine Zinfandel
Bottle Notes

Pick My Next Bottle – Ancient Vine Zinfandel

The April installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on ancient vine Zinfandel from the 2009 vintage. As I mentioned in the July installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. I plan on opening the winning bottle on April 28th and publishing an in-depth Bottle…

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2008 Carlisle Sonoma County Zinfandel
Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2008 Carlsile Zinfandel Sonoma County – Bottle Notes

Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was founded in 1998 by Mike and Kendall Officer. Their passion is clear: small lots of Zinfandel and Syrah from exceptional, historic vineyards. The 2008 Sonoma County Zinfandel is 96% Zinfandel and 4% Petite Sirah. A blend of various old-vine Zinfandel vineyards including Taylor in Dry Creek, Tin Cross in Alexander Valley, and Rossi in Sonoma…

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2005 Carlisle Russian River Valley Zin
Bottle Notes, Random Musings, Zinfandel

Has the Recipe at Carlisle Changed?

Robert Dwyer of Wellesley Wine Blog recently tweeted a less-than-favorable impression of 2010 Carlisle Sonoma County Syrah. I respect Robert’s palate and think my tastes are somewhat aligned with his, so I was surprised that he did not enjoy a staple from one of my favorite producers. I began to wonder: Has the “recipe” at Carlisle changed? I’ve had the…

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