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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.9 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 289 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by John Dunlap on 3/14/2022 & rated 95 points: Such a beautiful Zinfandel, now 15 years-old. Amazing. This is my last '07 from this producer and vineyard; what a great ride. Enjoyed every single bottle since release.
Wine stored in a cool cellar since purchase from the winery. Bottle resting upright for several months prior to opening. Excellent ullage. Decanted with a large amount of sediment clinging to the interior of the bottle - which is always a good sign.
Excellent red color with wonderfully bright deep red hues. The color is very alive. No tawniness whatsoever.
An abundance of rich mulberry, dark cherry and plum on the nose and palate. Also, secondary notes of apricot skin? and watermelon, plus touches of licorice, and perhaps wood spice are found in this wine. This wine is so rich and fully integrated; yet, there is something darkly vibrant - that I can't quite capture - swirling in the glass. Dark florals? Whatever it is, it keeps this wine wine alive and memorable.
Planted in 1934, the Papera Vineyard is an excellent example of old vine Sonoma Zinfandel. At this point, this vintage reminds me somewhat of older vintages of BdM or Chianti Riserva, though Papera produces richer mulberry flavors rather than dry cherry/leather elements.
Probably my all-time favorite Zinfandel vintage so far. Maybe '12 or '16 will fill the void. Who knows.
(Served with pasta and homemade sauce.) (823 views) | | | Tasted by Ryan_ratcliff on 1/29/2021 & rated 93 points: Spicy, black cherry, chocolate. Great bottle. Reaching the end of its age. Bought straight from Mike Officer a month ago so it was beautifully preserved. Needs at least an hour decant. (1002 views) | | | Tasted by rldixon on 5/8/2020 & rated 92 points: Consumed in a series of Carlisle Zins, these are my last bottles:
1. 2008 Lingenfelder
2. 2008 Sonoma County
3. 2007 Sonoma County
4. 2007 Papera Ranch
Previously reviewed and this bottle supports that assessment. This wine seems younger than the bottles I've recently had, which is why this series of consumption is so fun! (1165 views) | | | Tasted by jlgnml on 5/7/2020 & rated 92 points: tasty with a good finish (1140 views) | | | Tasted by Levinsb on 2/11/2020: Big jammy hot deep alcoholic red wine that goes with nothing. Maybe sloppy joes? Way too rich, California style. Flagrant obnoxious wine that mellowed zero after 12 years. Skip this garbage. (1338 views) | | | Tasted by rldixon on 12/15/2019 & rated 92 points: Still drinking beautifully near the end of its life, according to Mike's website. Consumed over two nights. Night one, prominent tannins and Zin spices and fruit made this great with a bowl of venison chili with sharp cheddar cheese. Carlisle wines usually run at a relatively high alcohol level, this label stated 15.2%, but never drink "hot". I did note some alcohol, initially, but this dissipated by the second glass. Night two, much smoother tannins and more prominent fruit. Noticeably more fragrant. This was a very food-friendly Zin! (963 views) | | | Tasted by winelovr2001 on 12/2/2018: Sweet and over the hill. (1500 views) | | | Tasted by dsimmons on 9/22/2018 & rated 89 points: I may have waited a bit too long on this one and that is unusual for a Carlisle zin. Still good but a little pruney. (1294 views) | | | Tasted by John Dunlap on 7/22/2018 & rated 94 points: OK, time to open up one of my all-time favorite Zinfandels from one of my all-time favorite producers. Yes, Carlisle’s 2007 Papera Ranch Zinfandel has always been one of those rare outstanding wines at all stages of life, yet it is time to crack open and enjoy.
Stored in a cool cellar since purchase, this wine was recently exhumed (in a geologic sense) from deep rest and placed upright for decanting. Precipitants clung to the inside of the bottle, making the neck of the bottle completely opaque, as I decanted; nevertheless, the wine poured clearly. (Over the years I have found sediment coating the bottle's interior to be a good sign, suggesting that the wine was well cellared and possessing abundant flavors. Once again, I was not let down.)
As expected, the color is no longer brooding with voluptuous purple tones, but instead is more nuanced with a deep red center and a pomegranate edge. The nose is rich, not with young fruit, but more like a round middle-age Chianti with elements of dry cherry compote, raspberry liquor, chocolate, and baking spices.
The wine is perfectly balanced with great secondary flavors and smooth acidity; all of which, gave no indication of heat for a wine bottled at 15.2 percent alcohol. Bravo! Like the nose, elements of dark cherries and chocolate dominated along with mid-palate elements of beef bouillon, balsamic richness, leather, and an ever so slight touch or red apple fruit. Crazy good and absolutely no heat.
Simply outstanding and at a wonderful stage to consume. Drink now and for the next couple of – say three years - or forever hold your peace. (1964 views) | | | Tasted by Castle Peak on 2/18/2018 & rated 93 points: Still very good. (1719 views) | | | Tasted by buckeye76 on 9/14/2017 & rated 94 points: Similar notes as previous tastings. This is holding up very well. (1945 views) | | | Tasted by apspr on 5/28/2017: Still great wine, but not quite as bursting with life as it had been. Time to drink, I think- (2422 views) | | | Tasted by williamswhine on 4/8/2017 & rated 93 points: Started off a little shaky-- the cork crumbled. Not sure if this wine would be any good as a result. Nice dark purple hue. Dark fruit, spice, pepper nose. Once it hit my tongue I knew it made it-- fantastic! Mellow, soft, fruity, pepper, long finish, easy drinking with or without food. If you've got this bottle, best to drink up. Albeit a great bottle, it is likely peaking or slightly over peak. (2394 views) | | | Tasted by jeff.robbins@cchmc.org on 2/5/2017 & rated 93 points: very very good right out of the bottle. Still fresh and vibrant with intense but not "fruit-bomb" presence. Ready to drink this year for sure. May improve but may not. (2542 views) | | | Tasted by buckeye76 on 12/19/2016 & rated 94 points: Blueberries, currants, black raspberries and some floral in the nose. Cherries, raspberries, and deep berry fruit in the flavor with a touch of spice. Nice acidity, well balanced, and a long finish. (2809 views) | | | Tasted by Jdwinedrinker on 11/24/2016: Drinking great at pre Thanksgiving dinner - enjoyed by all and gone quickly.... (2322 views) | | | Tasted by Outplaying on 9/23/2016: It's been five years since the last bottle and I wasn't sure if I would like it since our tastes have shifted so much. This is intense but silky soft and not too sweet or over the top. I liked it more than Ann surprisingly. I wrestled with opening this now or letting it age but I am glad I pulled the cork as I don't see this getting better. (2022 views) | | | Tasted by michigan dogs on 1/24/2016 & rated 93 points: I had my first bottle a number of years age and thought it was the best zin I'd had. Recently Mike Officer lowered his drinking window on this vintage to 2014 so we opened it up after enjoying a great meal and a number of bottles of Italian. All I can say is that this is still drinking great and shows no sign of peaking, everybody loved it. (3392 views) | | | Tasted by PIntag on 1/1/2016: Big Zin, drinking well right now. Layers of pleasing flavors, very deep and concentrated. My palate has swung toward old world in recent years, so I found this in the "over-the-top" range, but I still enjoy high quality wines in this style once in a while as long is the oak isn't overdone. (2944 views) | | | Tasted by BrianMc on 11/25/2015 & rated 93 points: Sad to say it's my last bottle, starts off soft and luscious, then comes fruit moving from across the palate from front to back, finishing with a tang. (3110 views) | | | Tasted by neurovino on 11/23/2015 & rated 92 points: Still excellent 5 years later. Similar to previous note from 12/2010.
"Wonderful zin. Balanced with big, explosive dark and bright fruit, and the right amount of alcohol. Went well with schnitzel, and, surprisingly, a tuna steak. The second glass was better than the first. Did not decant, so I suspect that's the air and not the buzz." (3067 views) | | | Tasted by tomlee on 9/17/2015 & rated 94 points: Bright red in color. 15.2% ABV. Great nose of jammy red and black fruits, pepper and a slight floral component. Supremely balanced with perfect acidity. Ripe and plush. Raspberry liqueur, boysenberry and pepper on the palate. The wine finishes strong. Delicious Zinfandel from one of the best sites in the Russian River Valley. Drink over the next year or so. (2970 views) | | | Tasted by sawira on 9/3/2015 & rated 94 points: No formal notes. Last bottle. Spectacular, but just tipping over onto the downhill slope with a titch less electricity as last couple of bottles. Goodbye old friend! (1705 views) | | | Tasted by MLwine on 7/6/2015 & rated 92 points: Wow. This is a terrific Zin, drinking beautifully right now. Bright and fruity, even at this age, but with balance and a surprising amount of finesse. And a phenomenal QPR. Bravo. (1914 views) | | | Tasted by hoservin on 4/24/2015 & rated 94 points: Aerated with a Vinturi. Aromas of blackberry, cherry, mocha, licorice, cedar and spice. A velvety smooth, black and red fruit core integrated with spice, coffee, chocolate and fine tannins on the palate. Leads to a long, soft finish. Full bodied. An outstanding Zin. Paired with four cheese pasta. (1792 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, May/June 2009, IWC Issue #144
(Carlisle Winery Zinfandel Papera Ranch Russian River Valley) Subscribe to see review text. |
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| Carlisle Producer website
Zinfandel ZAP: Zinfandel Advocates & Producers | Varietal character (Appellation America) | Wikipedia-ZinfandelPapera RanchPapera Ranch (Formerly Carlo's Ranch) vineyard is an old-vine Zinfandel vineyard, located on the eastern side of the Laguna de Santa Rosa in the Russian River AVA, Sonoma County, California. Just a stone's throw from Carlisle Vineyard, this "grand dame" of the Russian River Valley was planted in 1934 by Charley (Carlo) 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 carignane with a sprinkling of Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Valdiguié. Given its cool location, this vineyard is typically picked in late October. These old vines are head trained and dry farmed to produce high quality harvests, resulting in intensely flavorful grapes.
Details on weinlagen-infoUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Sonoma CountyMendocino CountyRussian River Valley Russian River Valley Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia |
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