Just got the Summer release letter from the Carlisle owners and they announced that they are retiring after the 2024 vintage. I hope they find someone worthy to take over.
3 Likes
Care to share this please? Big news indeed - especially for the WB community.
Cheers
I don’t believe anyone will be taking over as it says 2024 is expected to be Carlisle’s final vintage.
Will definitely miss them, but congratulations to their upcoming retirement.
Really glad I found and purchased some of their earlier Zinfandel’s/Syrah’s and excited to purchase more of their wines in the future.
Edit - It’d be cool if they had some of their earlier releases lying around and did a Retroactive Release like the one Bedrock recently did.
3 Likes
No one stepping up to purchase the brand/vineyards?
I wonder if Morgan/Bedrock will be interested in purchasing the vineyard. Seems like the kind of place they’d love to have ownership of.
4 Likes
That would make the most sense, but we’ll see.
1 Like
This isn’t mentioned in the letter. However, given massive amounts of acclaim and brand loyalty they’ve built, hard to imagine that someone wouldn’t jump at the chance to acquire it, or that they wouldn’t want to cash in on all their hard work.
2 Likes
My Carlisle story: I have, of course followed Mike Officer from (before) the very start. I was at one of the early ZAP tastings at FtMason doing my thing. They always had a table for home winemakers to show their Zins they made. I approached this table w/ low expectations…how good could Ho-Made wine be. This shy young man introduced himself as Mike Officer & poured me his Zin. I was blown away by it. “This is better, Mike, than 90% of the Zins out there on the floor”. He returned me an “awww…shucks” grin and thanked me for the compliment. Not sure what vnyd that first Zin was from. He had a bit more hair on his head back then. But he still has maintained that sorta “awww…shucks” attitude.
A few yrs later, he & Kendall invited me over for dinner at their home on the South side of SantaRosa.we tasted from a few brls that he had fermenting away out in his garage. He was not yet commercial…still a home winemaker. They fed Rachel & Riley & sent them off to the living room to watch TV. We sat down in the dining room to a great meal of beef short ribs braised in red wine. And lots of good wine. Midway thru the meal, I looked over into the kitchen. Riley (he was probably about 3-4 yrs old) had got into a cupboard, pulled out a box of powdered sugar, and dumped the entire contents on his head. Sugar all over the place. Mike & Kendall were absolutely mortified by Riley’s behavior in front of such an important guest. Gawd…what I would have given to have taken a picture (camera…no iPhones then). When I visit out there again, I’m giving Riley a box of powdered sugar for a reprise and so I can get my picture. We’ll get it on the front cover of the WineSpectator.
When Mike went commercial, I was first in line to buy his wines. He made them at the Wine Coop out on Piner Road. He was still holding down his day job as a software developer down in TheCite. He was located there for quite a few yrs afore he bought the old Mueller Wnry out West of Windsor, where he is still located.
Mike, Kendall, Rachel & Riley & myself have had lots of good visits & meals & wines over the yrs. My group has been one of the biggest Carlisle customers over the yrs…they are one of our most favored wineries amongst my group. Probably more Carlsle wines, per capita, in LosAlamos than anyplace in the World. Mike & Kendall have always been so good at taking care of their LosAlamos customers. Get more than our fair share of the wines.
So what does the future hold?? Mike & Kendall will have a well-earned retirement. There will be wine involved. I expect the wnry will be sold and the Carlisle brand will come to an end. Mike will probably stay on for a few yrs to help the new owners get started. Probably Jay & Riley will continue w/ the new owners. There will be powdered sugar involved.
I would expect that Mike will get out of the farming business & sell the old Carlisle (formerly Pelletti) vnyd. Would love to see Morgan take it over. It’s one of the greatest OV Zin vnyds in the RRV.
So…reflecting back. I’ve had some great Zins & Syrahs under the Carlisle label over the yrs. But I don’t think Mike gets the recognition for his White wines that he truly deserves. His Gruner is easily the best one made in Calif and can go mano a mano with any from Austria. A number of yrs ago, I took one of his Gruners to share w/ Ingrid Grois in Austria and she was amazed that they could make Gruner that good in Calif.
So…time to go home and pull a Carlisle from my archives and toast Mike & Kendall on their upcoming retirement. It’s not like I don’t have anythig to choose from!!
Tom
25 Likes
This is wonderful news for the Officer family. Not so good news for the customers. But we can hardly blame them.
As everyone else seems to suggest, I will lay odds that two guys named Morgan and Chris move in to save the day.
Phil Jones
2 Likes
Great story, Tom. Thanks for sharing it.
From Wine Spectator
7 Likes
was about to share this article
1 Like
Thanks for the article and some interesting details thrown in there.
1 Like
It feels like they are leaving open the option to still sell it. There is a winery and vineyards in play here. Someone will want it.
Tremendously well written send off letter too. Bravo!
5 Likes
To Mike, THANK YOU! So many years of Carlisle that has been my life, and those of the people who drink with me.
I’ve consumed over 400 bottles of Mike’s craft, starting way back in probably the early 2000s, but I’m old now so I can’t remember all that well. I have lots of photos from the visits to Mike, when he was over in Santa Rosa at the custom crush, to then his own place that we visited a few times. And to the times Mike came down to drink with us here in the OC, it’s all been an amazing experience.
Mike, I have hauled your bottles all over the damn place. To Boston, to Orlando, to San Miguel de Allende, to Maui. And so many offlines and photos. I offer a few below that maybe can capture the respect and great appreciation I feel for you, and to Jay and Kendall, too. THANK YOU! I wish you the absolute best of everything, for all the great memories you have given me.
PS…the very last photo is of @brigcampbell and I, with our buddy Paul. That photo hangs on the wall in my wine room, and is the best way I could represent the joy that Mike’s wines have brought me all these years. The one titled Bookclub 2015 contains Brig, @Chris_Seiber, @Steve_Nordhoff and @SeanKennedy. This is the night almost a decade ago when Mike came down to join our wine group. This group still meets today, and Mike was a part of that early time…so cool.
19 Likes
As I indicated, I was willing to take bets that Morgan and Chris would buy the place. Apparently, I would have lost those bets. The WS spectator article say that they tried to sell the business, but got no takers.
I am officially depressed.
Maybe somebody will take over some of the vineyards. As I recall, the Officers own some of their vineyards, but not all. Someone could buy some of the vineyards and take over leases of other vineyards?
Phil Jones
3 Likes
I’m obviously neither in the business nor do I know any details about Carlisle’s facilities, inventory, revenues, etc. But that is really so hard to believe. There seems to be so much brand equity, quality and value there.
And not that scores are the point to us here, but his wines get reviewed really well in the major publications.
Seems like it would be a no brainer for Jackson Family, Constellation, or any number of smaller or one-off players to step in, maybe get Mike on an employment contract or consulting contract for a few years to ensure a successful transition.
So much I don’t understand, I guess.
1 Like
Everyone (including Morgan) has been talking about the industry being depressed. Apparently the boomers are the only ones buying wine, and we (the boomers) are either dying or are not able to drink through the inventory already in our basements.
Phil Jones
3 Likes
RIP Buzz 
2 Likes
Wow! I did not get the letter. Just the order email. Already ordered, but now wish I had ordered more.