This ain’t frigging Gevrey Chambertin, let me tell you that. I’ll drink one of those tomorrow, but it’s Rosella’s again toooooooooo-night! So last week, I blathered a good while about the Novy Rosella’s, what was a 2005. That wine only slightly older than this Carlisle. I went on a good while about the Rosella’s terroir and how it’s so distinctive and its classic signature of citrus, jerky and pepper. Well, we once again walk down Rosella’s Avenue…well, if your in the SLH AVA, you’d be on River Road, I think, as you go by Gary Franscioni’s house and the Rosella’s parcel. Whatever the street name, Mike Officer got all the Rosella’s he could stuff into this wine, for sure.
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2006 Carlisle Syrah Rosella’s Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (4/7/2011)
Plush, full bodied with citrus, vanilla and pepper. This is the first impression upon opening and enjoying over the first hour. I’ll retaste tomorrow and provide a more complete note but from the view of drinking right away, a big wine with lots of big flavor…so I let the bottle sit overnight, and as I prepare to gut it out and urge the Ducks onto a playoff clinch, another glass tonight to enjoy, offer some feedback. This is a big wine, no doubt. Aromatically full of pepper, flowers, funk, creosote, sage–just a bunch of sauvage and burly notes. And as if the aromatics could say “I told you so”, the palate of this wine is squarely full bodied: juicy, with a good cut of citrus that is always Rosella’s, ink, cooked meat and black cherry and black berry. Finishes with tar and a touch of blue/black fruited acidity. If the acidity was missing in this bottle, this would be more of a meal, but Mike got all of the Rosella’s into the wine, all of the citrus and cooked meat/jerky and pepper, and this thing is a wollop of a wine. The acidity in this oughta stuff this wine for several more years so figure accordingly but in terms of tannin and astringence, that is not all that high here so you get the marriage of weight, sauvage and acid, all packed together. Drink and smile, this ain’t no sissy wine. Rosella’s is a standard bearer for CA syrah terroir, and I am glad that Mike got the fruit to showcase.
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