As I stared longingly at this bottle of inky purple goodness, a tear trickled down my cheek as I realized it was my final bottle. Someone once said, “All good things must come to an end.” F#@k that person as he had never had a $19.50 bottle of wine this good. I always secretly hope my bottles of Carlisle are crap (well, not really) since everyone and their mother gush about this winery, but alas, they are always freakin’ tasty. A tip of my sweaty University of Washington golf cap to you, Mr. Officer. Oh yeah, the wine…Dark and brooding purple, accented by ruby edges, this wine gets all up in your nostrils and invades your personal space. Smoked bacon, violets, berry jam, blackberries, pepper, and asian spice announce that you are about to enjoy yourself. Full bodied (not in an 18th century rubenesque sort of way but in a 21st century healthy Jennifer Connelly sort of way) but not overly dense, this wine has a certain lift that’s hard to explain. It just simply awakens your taste buds. Bright blue and black fruit fill your mouth to the rim and you actually fight swallowing (insert proverbial wife joke here), but when you do, the sticky tannins and hints of receding oak balance the ripe fruit perfectly and what you are left with is the feeling of pure drinking pleasure. When I was 19, pure drinking pleasure was MGD and Cuervo Gold and now, it’s 2007 Carlisle RRV Syrah! 93pts.
Jared, thanks for the note. I bought 6 and tried one a few months ago but it was pretty closed so I haven’t dipped in since. Nice to hear that they are coming around.