Russian River Valley

Soft and unassuming, this Pinot Noir exhibits a quiet luxury. Texturally it is smooth and soft and almost belies, the vibrant fruit notes of blackberry, black and Bing cherry, steeped black tea leaf and fresh/cut garden herbs. The tannins and acidity are modest making for an enjoyable and haptic drinking experience. Comprised of 14 different Pinot Noir clones from the Quail Hill Vineyard, this is truly a wine that exceeds the sum of its parts.

This remains my favorite wine in the Carlisle line-up.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, raspberries, nutmeg and other spices and slight char.  Lush texture!  Great energy and balance.  On the palate, this is young but delicious.  Flavors of black cherries, black raspberries and red raspberries.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and will work with bigger foods.  A nice choice with ribs or a (veggie) Burger off the grill.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

Usually, I let these age more, but at age 7, this took about an hour to open and then was wonderful.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, charred meats, black pepper, wild herbs and slight violets.  Full  bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Lush flavors of black raspberries, slight black cherries, spice and char.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and would be great with slow cooked full bodied foods such and beef stew or Roasted Squash.  Drink over the  next twenty years.  

Carlisle continues its slow closure as a winery.  They will be missed.  This is from their home vineyard.  From their web site, this wine is 87% Zinfandel