Perfect cork. Decanted, followed for about 2 hours. Nose of dark fruit, raisins, a bit of spice. Dark plum on the palate. Tannins still firm, longish finish, a bit hot. Overall, the alcohol stands out, but it is not over the hill, and an interesting punt for $30 or so.
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Pure, ripe, soft blackberry and other forest berry fruits; great purity, good heft with excellent balance; 9 years has been very easy on this wine still full of vibrancy but with easy, soft tannins and subtle minerality. Pleasure to drink.
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Stunning as usual, this was a dead ringer for Janasse, it had that same fruit profile and aroma, this is fully resolved and mature and should be enjoyed over the next 2 yrs or so, but won't fall apart any time soon. Still fairly rich with a velvety texture, just keeps reminding me why I keep buying Carlisle. I'm almost never disappointed by Mikes wines.
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An inky purple, almost black color in the glass. Pleasant fruit, and some alcohol evident on the nose. Flavors of blackberry and blueberry on the palate, with a pretty light mouth feel for a Syrah. The finish was nice, but not necessarily long or special.
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Just 5 notes on this wine in CT for the past 2 years....so adding to the limted history. This is my last 03 RRV and aside from last 03 Pelkan in my cellar, I am done with 2003 for Carlisle. Dark colored with expressive acacia flower and jasmine in the bouquet. Some tension in the wine through the mid palate, with a juicy blackberry and some faint licorice, with a fairly soft finish. As I taste the wine more, it shows some old bones flavors, with a hint of spice box and tobacco leaf, enough to notice but still enough fresh black fruit. As to the alcohol, the bottle lists off @ 15.9% but the wine seems lower, as the bouquet is clean and I can drink a good size glass and not feel like I am floating.........and as a final check in on the wine with a 24 hour rest in the bottle, more richness today in the bouquet and palate, as if the wine unfolded more. These rich elements ride over the secondary notes that I experienced yesterday. Even the acidity is a bit fresher, a bit more piercing, helping the big black fruit along. The alcohol is more present today, living up to the listed number so if you age, which given the acidity you can, note that you'll not want to wait too long. The alcohol fits into the greater whole now, given the structure and fruit freshness but the drink window would be now through 2011. No reason to wait--enjoy now.
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Popped and poured and this changed considerably over a couple of hours. Initial nose of intense black fruits and a little oak. after an hour it had the developed a meaty/blood nose with maybe some iron/ferrous notes that Ann didn't prefer. She said she got some pine needles on the nose too. After two hours this wine was really singing. There is lots of fruit, some spice, nice acidity, and very soft tannins. I actually think I would prefer this wine a little younger with a little more tannins. It was a good match for the BBQ ribs. I struggled in identifying smells and flavors in this wine but I really enjoyed it. More so than Ann did.
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Oppressively black with neon purple at the rim and thick dripping legs in the glass. The nose is pretty explosive right off the bat with notes of crème de cassis, blackberry, licorice, and fresh cracked pepper. The palate is quite concentrated in a tremendously pure style with gobs of dark fruit such as boysenberry and raspberry. The tannins are ripe but approaching supple and along with the sweet impression of the fruit give this wine wonderful balance. I think this wine could handle another five years easily and maybe even pick up some additional complexity. Served at cellar temperature and allowed to warm in glass, there was no sign of the 15.5% alcohol. I decanted this for around two hours and it went brilliantly with a simple grilled rack of lamb.
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Similar notes to 12/04, except the tannins have softened considerably. A very sunny disposition and easy to drink. Loads of extracted fruit, as you would expect. Drink now through 2011.
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Floral, rather closed nose. Subtle aromas of peppercorn, some savory elements, briary wild berry, a little char. Fresh and more open in the mouth. Flavors of crushed red berry, roasted herbs, licorice and white pepper. Bright, red-fruited, mineral finish, which is still a little tannic. Improved significantly over a couple of hours. Needs 3-4 hours in the decanter or a few more years in the cellar.
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Popped & poured. The only knock on this wine is a touch of alcohol on the nose & finish. Other than that it is very enjoyable. Dark purple in color with a ruby red rim, full bodied & full throttle, a solid core of black fruits with a touch of sweet oak & pepper. Not overly complex but this very satisfying. 50+5+13+17+7=92
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What a pleasant surprise on a sunday night....disagree with a previous reviewer re: acidity. This wine is in its "sweet spot" literally...no prominent tannins showing...unctious unadulterated syrah that is absolutely singing...big dark fruit, almost cab like...chewy...not a food friendly wine as its a meal unto itself...delicious
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2nd bottle of this wine I have drank in 2007. I like the wine much more tonight than last night. 24 hours ago, it showed more red fruit and sharper edge with some acidity. Seemed a little too red in profile for me. 24 hours later, drinking the other 1/2 of the bottle, much more fleshy and expressive. The nose tonight reflects a ferrous/iron quality that sometimes I find in syrah, along with a hint of pepper. While the red fruit is there tonight, so too is a nice wide brush stroke of blackberry, covering the palate like a dark blanket. An espresso/roasted quality, along with a bittersweet chocolate feel on the finish, with more of that iron element. No perceptible heat (like I found, for example, in the 2003 Carlisle Dry Creek), nice balance of wood and texture. In sum, I dig the nice blending of the red iron quality and the rich flush of blackberry. My advice here is to decant so the wine will express itself fully.
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Have not tried one of these since purchase--off with the cork. Reminds me a lot of a Rosella's, with the peppery/smoky note, brushy herb (rosemary/sage) and olive. Palate is medium weight with a mix of roasted cherry, licorice, chocolate and some chalky tannin on the finish. My wife makes a mixed berry cobbler and the mix of red/blue/black fruit she uses reminds me a little of that blended berry feel here. Not a bruiser but more subtle and even keeled.
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Nose gives up little - maybe leather and some dark fruit. Clearly a young wine. Big tannins and littl ecomplexity. Still, big fruit and long finish made it enjoyable. Next day note - tannins calmed down, but the fruit is still there. Even more enjoyable and more food friendly. Should age well.
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Required some time to open up and not quite as complex as some of Carlisle's other offerings. Not much on the nose, but nice black cherries, pepper, licorice on the palate. Still enjoyable.
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Dark purple color. Very young. Violets and boysenberries on the nose. Blackberry liqueur on the palate. Very thick, extracted and chewy right now. It shut down a bit one hour after opening. Will probably drink my remaining bottle in 2007.
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really tasty. had a heavy floral nose with some spice.
thick and deep. nice heavy blackberry fruit. My wife noticed anise (more than i did). Surprising that there isn't any viognier in there to help with the high notes... tastes like it. has plenty of future... just couldn't resist a powerful carlisle this weekend. will most likely improve a few points.
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Napa-Noma Trip: Barrel Sample - This is from a new vineyard source that hasn't been named yet. It includes 5 different clones of Syrah that are all blended here. I don’t think there was sufficient quantity to vinify these separately. Roasted coffee, hidden high-toned qualities. Tree bark. Rich fruit. The palate is more open, fruity, and approachable than the nose suggested.
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4/19/2024 - MarcoReus Likes this wine: 90 Points
Perfect cork. Decanted, followed for about 2 hours. Nose of dark fruit, raisins, a bit of spice. Dark plum on the palate. Tannins still firm, longish finish, a bit hot. Overall, the alcohol stands out, but it is not over the hill, and an interesting punt for $30 or so.
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2/23/2021 - ChrisWagner Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was fantastic.
Shapeshifted a bit over the couple of hours. Started dark dark fruit, then blue, and ended more dark red.
My wife, who basically never picks up subtlety in wine, remarked, “Wow, there’s so much going on here.”
She also rarely likes wines with age, but this is showing next to none. She was a fan.
If you’re looking for Northern Rhone with age, move along. If you are good with a nice, mid-weight CA Syrah with age look no further.
FWIW assuming good storage, I’ve never had an over the hill Carlisle.
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10/17/2016 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Gorgeous nose (A-). Outstanding palate (B++/A-). Seems to open up significantly after 30-60 minutes.
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7/12/2016 - rhanke wrote: 91 Points
Very nice. Showing well
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12/14/2012 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
Pure, ripe, soft blackberry and other forest berry fruits; great purity, good heft with excellent balance; 9 years has been very easy on this wine still full of vibrancy but with easy, soft tannins and subtle minerality. Pleasure to drink.
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7/2/2012 - zscheiner Likes this wine: 90 Points
Blind Tasting 2009 & 2010 Cotes du Rhone (Rich & Peggy's House, Los Altos, CA): Mixed berry jam on the nose. Raspberry and blackberries on the palate with nice acidity. Some tannins but nicely balanced. Easily the consensus wine of this mini-flight.
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11/4/2011 - Vinomarcus wrote: 93 Points
Stunning as usual, this was a dead ringer for Janasse, it had that same fruit profile and aroma, this is fully resolved and mature and should be enjoyed over the next 2 yrs or so, but won't fall apart any time soon. Still fairly rich with a velvety texture, just keeps reminding me why I keep buying Carlisle. I'm almost never disappointed by Mikes wines.
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9/28/2011 - JayAAllen wrote: 88 Points
An inky purple, almost black color in the glass. Pleasant fruit, and some alcohol evident on the nose. Flavors of blackberry and blueberry on the palate, with a pretty light mouth feel for a Syrah. The finish was nice, but not necessarily long or special.
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12/14/2009 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Just 5 notes on this wine in CT for the past 2 years....so adding to the limted history. This is my last 03 RRV and aside from last 03 Pelkan in my cellar, I am done with 2003 for Carlisle. Dark colored with expressive acacia flower and jasmine in the bouquet. Some tension in the wine through the mid palate, with a juicy blackberry and some faint licorice, with a fairly soft finish. As I taste the wine more, it shows some old bones flavors, with a hint of spice box and tobacco leaf, enough to notice but still enough fresh black fruit. As to the alcohol, the bottle lists off @ 15.9% but the wine seems lower, as the bouquet is clean and I can drink a good size glass and not feel like I am floating.........and as a final check in on the wine with a 24 hour rest in the bottle, more richness today in the bouquet and palate, as if the wine unfolded more. These rich elements ride over the secondary notes that I experienced yesterday. Even the acidity is a bit fresher, a bit more piercing, helping the big black fruit along. The alcohol is more present today, living up to the listed number so if you age, which given the acidity you can, note that you'll not want to wait too long. The alcohol fits into the greater whole now, given the structure and fruit freshness but the drink window would be now through 2011. No reason to wait--enjoy now.
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5/8/2009 - Outplaying wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured and this changed considerably over a couple of hours. Initial nose of intense black fruits and a little oak. after an hour it had the developed a meaty/blood nose with maybe some iron/ferrous notes that Ann didn't prefer. She said she got some pine needles on the nose too. After two hours this wine was really singing. There is lots of fruit, some spice, nice acidity, and very soft tannins. I actually think I would prefer this wine a little younger with a little more tannins. It was a good match for the BBQ ribs. I struggled in identifying smells and flavors in this wine but I really enjoyed it. More so than Ann did.
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7/18/2008 - Badfish wrote: 92 Points
Oppressively black with neon purple at the rim and thick dripping legs in the glass. The nose is pretty explosive right off the bat with notes of crème de cassis, blackberry, licorice, and fresh cracked pepper. The palate is quite concentrated in a tremendously pure style with gobs of dark fruit such as boysenberry and raspberry. The tannins are ripe but approaching supple and along with the sweet impression of the fruit give this wine wonderful balance. I think this wine could handle another five years easily and maybe even pick up some additional complexity. Served at cellar temperature and allowed to warm in glass, there was no sign of the 15.5% alcohol. I decanted this for around two hours and it went brilliantly with a simple grilled rack of lamb.
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7/9/2008 - RKatzDO wrote: flawed
Mildly corked, but enough for me.
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6/15/2008 - otisabdul wrote: 90 Points
Similar notes to 12/04, except the tannins have softened considerably. A very sunny disposition and easy to drink. Loads of extracted fruit, as you would expect. Drink now through 2011.
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3/10/2008 - pgordon62 wrote: 90 Points
Floral, rather closed nose. Subtle aromas of peppercorn, some savory elements, briary wild berry, a little char. Fresh and more open in the mouth. Flavors of crushed red berry, roasted herbs, licorice and white pepper. Bright, red-fruited, mineral finish, which is still a little tannic. Improved significantly over a couple of hours. Needs 3-4 hours in the decanter or a few more years in the cellar.
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11/13/2007 - ScottS wrote: 92 Points
Popped & poured. The only knock on this wine is a touch of alcohol on the nose & finish. Other than that it is very enjoyable. Dark purple in color with a ruby red rim, full bodied & full throttle, a solid core of black fruits with a touch of sweet oak & pepper. Not overly complex but this very satisfying.
50+5+13+17+7=92
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11/11/2007 - E wrote: 93 Points
What a pleasant surprise on a sunday night....disagree with a previous reviewer re: acidity. This wine is in its "sweet spot" literally...no prominent tannins showing...unctious unadulterated syrah that is absolutely singing...big dark fruit, almost cab like...chewy...not a food friendly wine as its a meal unto itself...delicious
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11/10/2007 - Frank Murray III wrote:
2nd bottle of this wine I have drank in 2007. I like the wine much more tonight than last night. 24 hours ago, it showed more red fruit and sharper edge with some acidity. Seemed a little too red in profile for me. 24 hours later, drinking the other 1/2 of the bottle, much more fleshy and expressive. The nose tonight reflects a ferrous/iron quality that sometimes I find in syrah, along with a hint of pepper. While the red fruit is there tonight, so too is a nice wide brush stroke of blackberry, covering the palate like a dark blanket. An espresso/roasted quality, along with a bittersweet chocolate feel on the finish, with more of that iron element. No perceptible heat (like I found, for example, in the 2003 Carlisle Dry Creek), nice balance of wood and texture. In sum, I dig the nice blending of the red iron quality and the rich flush of blackberry. My advice here is to decant so the wine will express itself fully.
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7/7/2007 - NeuroDoc wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful nose of cherry. Nice palate feel, medium length. Well balanced.
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3/8/2007 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Have not tried one of these since purchase--off with the cork. Reminds me a lot of a Rosella's, with the peppery/smoky note, brushy herb (rosemary/sage) and olive. Palate is medium weight with a mix of roasted cherry, licorice, chocolate and some chalky tannin on the finish. My wife makes a mixed berry cobbler and the mix of red/blue/black fruit she uses reminds me a little of that blended berry feel here. Not a bruiser but more subtle and even keeled.
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12/1/2006 - zheem wrote:
This was very enjoyable--no formal notes however. Still young.
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9/15/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote: 86 Points
Young California Syrah (Chez Shaffer - Highland Park IL): Tasted blind. Huge black fruit aromas. Same on palate, certainly good but little subtlety. Lots of heat on finish masks some good spice trying to emerge as well.
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9/15/2006 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Wineflock Intro/Retro - California Syrah (The Shaffer's): Nice round rich nose of balck cherry. Big rich concentrated black fruit and coffee notes.
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9/15/2006 - mattowan wrote: 91 Points
Nose gives up little - maybe leather and some dark fruit. Clearly a young wine. Big tannins and littl ecomplexity. Still, big fruit and long finish made it enjoyable. Next day note - tannins calmed down, but the fruit is still there. Even more enjoyable and more food friendly. Should age well.
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9/15/2006 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
Wine Flock: California Syrah - An Introspective / Retrospective Tasting (The Shaffer's - Highland Park, IL): Layered nose features black fruit, green olives and spice. Ripe black fruit and licorice on the palate. Fruit showss restraing and good integration with acids and tannin. A well balanced and excellent wine (group #6, my #6).
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3/4/2006 - cookie7 wrote: 89 Points
Required some time to open up and not quite as complex as some of Carlisle's other offerings. Not much on the nose, but nice black cherries, pepper, licorice on the palate. Still enjoyable.
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12/24/2005 - otisabdul wrote: 90 Points
Dark purple color. Very young. Violets and boysenberries on the nose. Blackberry liqueur on the palate. Very thick, extracted and chewy right now. It shut down a bit one hour after opening. Will probably drink my remaining bottle in 2007.
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12/19/2005 - pgordon62 wrote: flawed
Next to nothing on the nose or palate. A harsh finish. No wet cardboard, but I have to believe this was corked.
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11/19/2005 - AlexRed wrote: 89 Points
really tasty. had a heavy floral nose with some spice.
thick and deep. nice heavy blackberry fruit. My wife noticed anise (more than i did). Surprising that there isn't any viognier in there to help with the high notes... tastes like it.
has plenty of future... just couldn't resist a powerful carlisle this weekend. will most likely improve a few points.
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11/14/2005 - Dubliner wrote: 90 Points
Young. Tried from the case to see how I liked it. Got potential.
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6/4/2004 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Napa-Noma Trip: Barrel Sample - This is from a new vineyard source that hasn't been named yet. It includes 5 different clones of Syrah that are all blended here. I don’t think there was sufficient quantity to vinify these separately. Roasted coffee, hidden high-toned qualities. Tree bark. Rich fruit. The palate is more open, fruity, and approachable than the nose suggested.
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