October 31, 2021 - Dense and deeply colored with intense nose. Earth. leather, red and black raspberry, savory herbs. The fruit appears to have receded and the complexity increased. Long lingering finish. Smooth with mature tannins. Really lovely mature wine that was well balanced and enjoyable.
January 19, 2020 - Showing its age, but not in a bad way - just slightly less bright fruit flavors. Definitely a more complex wine than I expected. Lingering, intriguing finish.
September 22, 2019 - Not rating, past drink date and it showed - first taste a zinger wonder then quickly fell off. My fault for losing track of these. Will update with another bottle soon.
July 27, 2019 - Peppery, with plums, leather, red fruit, loam and cardamon. Becoming more secondary, this still has a lovely freshness and life ahead. There’s a striking acidity and a flowing, long finish. I see no reason to wait. Has there ever been a lesser Papera bottling from Carlisle? Not at all. Drink now - 2022.
January 27, 2019 - Drank with the 13 and 16 vintages. My last bottle, sad. Surprisingly this held it's own against two great wines. See my review of the 16 vintage for details.
November 5, 2018 - This was delicious. Drinking very well now, and easily has another two years or more in it. Black raspberries, blackberries, and plums in the nose. Black cherries, currants, and a hint of chocolate in the flavor. Elegant, full bodied, complex, and a beautiful long, smooth finish. Impressive, and a nice match with burgers! 94/95
September 4, 2018 - My last bottle of this delicious zin. Very elegant mature zin. Loads of fruit and secondary layers of earth, spice and herbs. Drink or hold
July 30, 2017 - Drinking beautifully. No notes but another beautiful Carlisle from one of my favorite vineyards. A real wow of a wine.
July 27, 2017 - The color on this almost 10 year old wine is amazing, bright ruby red with no sign of bricking. Ripe red fruits on the nose with a finish i find between a Framboise Lambic and Chambord leaning more towards the liqueur. The finish is a long 45 seconds or more and I think this wine could hold for another 1-2 years.
April 6, 2017 - Great zinfandel. Carlisle makes the best and Papera ranch is the best vineyard. Deep purple, significant alcohol but not unpleasant. Mostly fruit on the nose, Black fruit and spice on palate, full body, good finish. Not a lot of complexity but good structure and tannins. Still could go for some more years. Does not need decant. Went great with pizza from Bambinos in Seattle with Steph, Julian and Adam.