|
The Original Cult Zin Zion (without the Cult Price)
Since 2009 a Carlisle wine has landed in the Top 100 list of Wine Spectator six times. Five of those bottles were in the top 20. There's even a thread on the Wine Berserkers site entitled, "Which Carlisle are you drinking?"
We have four extremely limited wines on today's offer:
| |
|
All four wines are expected to be in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2023 when revealed this coming Monday November 13th! This is your head start before the mob's frenzy buys everything up!
Carlisle is a small Sonoma County winery specializing in the production of old-vine, vineyard designated Zinfandels and red Rhone varieties (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Petite Sirah). While Carlisle likes their wines to be bold and intensely flavored, each reflecting its vintage and vineyard, they also strive to create wines of balance, complexity, and nuance. They search out old vineyards wherever they can to source their fruit. Papera Ranch is a grande dame of the Russian River Valley, planted in 1934 by Celestino (Charlie) Papera. While many old-vine vineyards contain plenty of mixed black varieties, most of the blocks at Papera Ranch are 95+% Zinfandel. One block, however, does contain a significant amount of Carignan with a sprinkling of Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Valdiguié. Given its cool location, this is one of the winery's later Zinfandel vineyards to be picked.
According to a recent International Wine Review article, Carlisle is "one of California's most accomplished producers of old vine Zinfandel and red Rhone varieties...The wines are so highly regarded by the cognoscenti that almost all is sold through Mike's mailing list." We at Artisan, however, were able to snag a mere handful of bottles of each of these exclusive wines.
The winery was founded by Mike and Kendall Officer in 1998, although its origins date back much further, to Mike's first garage wines in the early 90s and before that, his first sips of delicious wine as a teenager. By 2000, however, it was time to expand, so enter Jay Maddox, an old college friend who had just finished getting a second degree in viticulture and enology (with honors!) from U.C. Davis. Jay joined Carlisle in February 2001, bringing a wealth of knowledge, a keen palate, and a desire to produce nothing but the best without compromise.
Together they seek out unique vineyards, the older the better, to produce incredibly rich, flavorful wine - and these wines have it all! Don't miss out on our very limited allocation!
Cheers,
—James Tran
| |
 | |
2021 Carlisle Zinfandel "Piner-Olivet Ranches" Russian River Valley
94-96 Points - Vinous:
The 2021 Zinfandel Piner-Olivet is another fabulous wine in this range. It brings together so many of the elements that make the Carlisle wines so compelling. Dense and succulent, the 2021 races across the palate, showing notable textural depth and persistence. All the elements are so well balanced. The Piner-Oliver is a blend of Carlisle, Papera, Mancini and Pagani, essentially three grand crus from the Russian River Valley and a fourth from Sonoma Valley! That's a pretty appealing combination in my book. Moreover, this wine is exceptionally well-priced.
94 Points, Rank ? Top 100 of 2023 - Wine Spectator:
Fresh and exuberant, with vibrant black raspberry, cracked pepper and brown baking spices that gather structure and richness toward refined tannins. Drink now.
93 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
A youthful dark red to purple hue, the 2021 Zinfandel Piner-Olivet Ranches is ripe with woodsy spice, menthol, and blackberry. Full-bodied, it boasts a broader and riper feel, with expansive fruit on the palate, including notes of mocha, black cherry, and turned earth. It offers a lot of hedonistic appeal and will drink well over the next 10-15 years.
-
Varietal Composition: 98% Zinfandel and 2% Alicante Bouschet
-
Alcohol: 15%
-
Cases Produced: 673
60 bottles left
Wine.com: $42.00
Online Avg: $42.00
OURS $37.97
| |  |
 | |
2021 Carlisle Syrah "Papa's Block" Russian River Valley
95 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"Pouring a deep purple, the 2021 Syrah Papa's Block is ripe with dark scorched earth, boysenberry marmalade, and forest spices. Full-bodied and generous, with a rounded feel, it offers a good deal of ripe tannins, with cocoa, black plum preserve, and turned soil. Drink this ripe, round, ample red 2025-2040."
94 Points, Rank ? Top 100 of 2023 - Wine Spectator:
"Deeply structured and simmering with intensity, this Syrah unfurls with blackberry and raspberry flavors laced with smoked meat, licorice and Asian five-spice, finishing with broad-shouldered tannins. Drink now through 2033."
92-94 Points - Vinous:
"The 2021 Syrah Papa’s Block is packed with dark fruit, herbs, scorched earth and strong peppery accents. Powerful and muscular in feel, the Papa’s Block is also the biggest Syrah in the range. In many ways, it reminds me of the early wines here, wines that prized intensity over finesse. The 2021 saw 30% stem inclusion, a bit higher than the 20% or so that is typical for this bottling." - Antonio Galloni (1/23)
-
Varietal Composition: 100% Syrah
-
Alcohol: 14.3%
-
Cases Produced: 489
36 bottles left
Wine.com: $52.00
OURS $48.97
| |
 | |
2020 Carlisle Zinfandel "Papera Ranch" Russian River Valley
94 Points, Rank ? Top 100 of 2023 - Wine Spectator:
"Few Zinfandels show this much nuance and detail, yet there's an elegant power to this red, with cherry and raspberry flavors that mingle with orange peel and fresh sage. Ends with refined tannins. Drink now through 2032. 854 cases made." - TF (web only 2023)
93 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2020 Zinfandel Papera Ranch is ripe with fresh berries, raspberry preserve, and baking spice. Its gushy fruit up front gives way to a note of raspberry seed and refreshing lift on the finish. Drink 2023-2032." (Aug 2022)
91 Points - Vinous:
"The 2020 Zinfandel Papera Ranch is a charming, seductive wine. All the elements are so nicely balanced. Succulent red/purplish fruit, mint, blood orange, sage and rose petal lend quite a bit of immediacy, while silky tannins wrap it all together in style. The 2020 is an unusually restrained Papera, but its balance is beyond reproach. A few hours of aeration are hugely beneficial." - Antonio Galloni (1/22)
-
Varietal Composition: 96% Zinfandel, 4% Carignan
-
Alcohol: 15%
-
Cases Produced: 854
18 bottles left
Bounty Hunter: $60.00
Wine.com: $59.00
Online Avg: $54.00
OURS $48.99
| | |
|
2020 Carlisle Zinfandel "Carlisle Vineyard" Russian River Valley
95 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2020 Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard is more brooding, with pine, fresh black plum, and baking spice. The palate is ripe with brambly mixed berries, warming alcohol, and fine tannins that emerge. Allow another year in bottle or so and enjoy 2023-2034." (8/2/2022)
94 Points, Rank ? Top 100 of 2023 - Wine Spectator:
"Impeccably built and sleekly styled, with expressive black cherry and plum flavors that are accented by cinnamon and other baking spices, plus hints of orange zest and pepper. Drink now through 2031. 735 cases made." - TF (web only 2023)
-
Varietal Composition: 86% Zinfandel, 14% Mixed Black Varieties (Alicante Bouschet, Petite Sirah, Grand Noir, Peloursin, Trousseau noir, Tempranillo, Carignan, Muscadelle, Malvasia, Muscat, Clairette blanche and 31 other varieties)
-
Alcohol: 15%
-
Cases Produced: 735
12 bottles left
Wine.com: $58.00
Online Avg: $56.00
OURS $54.97
| |
Another phenomenal Zinfandel that's expected to rank a THIRD time: | | | | |
