Speaking of Carlisle: What was your favorite?

WINE TALK
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I was just looking at my Carlisle wines on Cellartracker. I ran a report to see what my favorite Carlisle wine was (according to my notes on CT).

My #1 Carlisle was a '06 Petite Sirah Yorkville Highlands. I rated it 94 points. It sat in my cellar for 2.5 years before drinking.

My #2 was the '07 and '08 Papa’s Block Syrah. 93 points.

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  • 2006 Carlisle Zinfandel Montafi Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (1/4/2014)
    Bought direct on release. I was emailing back and forth with Mike Officer a few days ago and mentioned this wine. He noted that I was past his projected drinking window and he did not think from the beginning that it would age well. Since I have three, I decided to open one today. As we drank the wine, my wife said to tell Mike to open one himself because he is wrong. Decanted and then followed over three hours. All the initial roughness is gone. Maybe a bit of the power is gone, but it has been replaced by an overall mature, smooth, well integrated whole. There is some dark brooding red and black fruit, with a bit of blueberry. No one would suggest that this should be used for pancake syrup. There is a tiny bit of cedar wood in the flavor profile. The mouth feel is smooth without being creamy. The finish is very long. I’m glad we have two more. (94 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

SECOND CHOICE

  • 2005 Carlisle Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (4/16/2010)
    Opened for 30 minutes in advance but not decanted. Drunk from large, flat bottomed Burgundy glasses. This is a great, outstanding zinfandel which is carrying its age very very well. My wife agreed that this was a wonderful wine. The early roughness is gone and it presents a complex four-component palate of fully integrated red fruit, pepper, allspice and a light vanilla undercurrent. If you concentrate hard, you can sense a bit of oak way in the background, but it is not an oaky wine, it’s just a component of the overall flavor profile. The mouth feel is very smooth, the color is dark and clean. This is not an explosive, fruit forward almost syrupy young zinfandel, not that I do not appreciate those. Instead, it shows what a well-made wine can develop into after a few years. Five years is hardly a long time for aging, so I have hidden a few Carlisle zins in mixed cases at the bottom of piles in my cellar in the hope they get lost for a few years because this wine has not yet reached the downslope. (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Probably the '05 Montafi or maybe that was when it was called Tom Feeney Ranch.

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2001 Russian River Valley “Carlisle Vineyard” Zinfandel and the 2001 Russian River Valley “Two Acres” Red Wine. Smooth and even. Great taste.

5

My Carlisle consumption started within the last 3-4 years so with that in mind…
My top ones have been the '09 Papera and the '09 Monte Rosso.

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I looked through my entire history of TNs and it is obviously Montafi Ranch Zin. I did not realize, as noted above, that Tom Feeney Ranch is the same thing. I had a 2008 Dry Creek Zin yesterday that I brought to a party. Outstanding. Especially interesting was tasting it opposite a bunch of other wines brought by non-collectors. That reminded me why the scale has 100 points (or, to be fair, 50 points). If the Carlisle was 91 points, the Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, which had fundamental flaws of excessive bitterness, deserved a 75 and some of the other stuff needed to be scaled down from there.

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Fairly recent Carlisle buyer here, but the '09 Two Acres was particularly stunning for me.

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I almost always love my last bottle. Last night, the 2006 Dry Creek Syrah was outstanding, resolving its oak nicely. Somewhat Rhoneish on the nose, but large and Californian on the palate.

9

The 2007 RRV Syrah will always be a favorite of mine, maybe the best so far. That wine continues to drink superb, made even more impressive that is released at $19.50 a bottle.

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The '01 Gum Tree has always been a favorite and I still get a bit emotional thinking about the fact this gem of a vineyard was destroyed for a housing development. [swearing.gif] [cry.gif]

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Without a doubt.

2010 Carlisle Zinfandel Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard

And they dont make it anymore.

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Even though it was young…

  • 2009 Carlisle Syrah Cardiac Hill - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley (7/26/2013)
    Black currant on the nose and palate. Good acidity, well balanced. Violets, plums with chewy tannins, and faint pepper in the glass. Very good wine for a Friday night! (94 pts.)

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A classic for sure - predates my history with Carlisle but I found a bottle at K&L a while back, and being our anniversary year I popped it a couple years ago IIRC at our 11th anniversary. Wonderful wine!

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Probably my first Carlisle, I think it was a 99 Dry Creek Zin :slight_smile:

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2007 Montafi Zin. I have a couple left and will revisit one this year.

Thanks,
Ed

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My first Carlisle 07 Cardiac Hill Syrah

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I picked up a few bottles of Carlisle syrah from the 2001 vintage through Wade’s Wines years ago. I thought it was a Carlisle Vineyard syrah but could be mistaken, maybe it was the Sonoma? In any event, it was probably my most favorite California syrah I’ve tasted to date.

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Joe - do you know why Mike stopped producing a Zin from FWR Vineyard?

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I never asked. He only made it one year. I just assumed that either he was not happy with the outcome or that he couldnt source enough grapes to make it worth his time.

Here is his page on it. He seemed to really want it.

2010 Russian River Valley “Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard” Zinfandel

85%. Zinfandel
15%. Mixed Black Varieties (Alicante Bouschet, Petite Sirah, Peloursin, Syrah, and others)

pH: 3.54
T.A.: 0.71 g/100mL
Alcohol: 16.2%
Cases Produced: 123

Ah yes, Wood Road! Surely one of the finest terroirs for old-vine Zinfandel in Sonoma County! I’ve drooled over the half dozen old-vine vineyards (Belloni, Chelli, Arata, Hartford, Rue, and Fanucchi) along this short stretch of road for years, dreaming of making a wine from one of them. But with most of the vineyards under contract with Hartford and Ravenswood, I figured I had the same chance as a snowball in hell. Nevertheless, in 2010 Lady Luck smiled upon me and Peter Fanucchi agreed to sell me a small amount of fruit from his vineyard planted in 1906. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 20% new French oak.

Tasting Note: Dark ruby-garnet. Verging on opaque. Classic Russian River Zinfandel aromas of boysenberry, black raspberry, spice, and pepper. The smell alone is a turn on! Quite deep and full-bodied but with excellent acidity. A powerful, concentrated wine that can certainly be enjoyed now but should continue to develop with additional bottle age. Drink 2013 through 2017… (MRO – 01/17/12)

Suggested Retail: $45 - Sold Out
Release Date: April 2012

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2004 Zinfandel Tom Feeney