2021 Carlisle 'Papera Ranch' Zinfandel Russian River Valley
Dark ruby-garnet. Heady, perfumed aromas of red and black raspberries macerated with blood orange. This is summer in a glass! Medium-full to full-bodied on entry, the burst of red berry and cherry fruit on the palate is nearly overwhelming. The long finish and juicy, mouthwatering acidity keep the palate begging for more.
Former software engineer Mike Officer started Carlisle in 1998 in his garage with the help of his wife Kendall and college buddy Jay Maddox, and he’s never looked back. Today, he is recognized along with Turley and Bedrock as a top artisan producer of Zinfandel, and we would place him in the same "enthusiast-garagiste-perfectionist" category as Russell Bevan, whose wines you've embraced in a huge way. Officer sells most of his wines to his mailing list and restaurants.
Jeb Dunnuck
Tons of auxiliary grapes go into the 2021 Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard, which is deep red and ripe with cassis, cedar, bourbon spices, and peppercorn. Full-bodied, with both richness and an angular structure as well as silky fruit to balance it nicely, it offers notes of ripe red plum and black cherry, baking spices, mocha, and warming earth and is long on the palate.
Vinous
The 2021 Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard is another dazzling wine in this range. Sweet red/purplish fruit, blood orange, spice, mint, rose petal and lavender are all wonderfully alive. This pliant, racy Zinfandel-based field blend (with 13% mixed blacks) is an absolute gem. Time in the glass really allows the layers to open.