SAWIRA nails a lot of my impressions. This is occasionally clumsy, but has many more moments of brilliance than not. Tons of fruit left, much more than its other flavors, but there is some complexity there. The structure is fully mature and will start fading in a year or two, but there is a good balance, but definitely one for those who like the ripe side of their zins. This has aged very well, and I think Officer's window of 2004 to 2010 is a bit short. This probably has another year or two before itll lose much and gain little. Delicious stuff.
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I've saved this bottle since release to test my palate's preference for Mike Officer's Zins. Color retains plenty of purple with the red, not as much of a purple monster as on release, but no bricking, amber or browning and only the tiniest hints of lightening salmon at the rim. Nose muted at first and then unfolding to show ripe and amost (but not quite) jammy red and black berries, with some vanilla in the background. On the palate this explodes at first with huge brambly zin fruitedness, then gets a bit cough syrupy at the 15 minute mark. I was worried the test was over, but no. Within another 10 minutes a tamed beast appeared - smoky, earthy, mineral imbued balance appears for the sweet, full-bodied fruit. There's even a sour component adding texture. The last glass at the 90 minute mark was the best. This is superb and the test confirms what I suspected - I like Mike's wines with some age. Another lesson is how wines like this at the tail end of their curve demand respect and attention. There were many moments this was clumsy, yet even more where it was exhibiting the last gasps of peak aliveness before senescence, but which could have easily been missed in a crowded room. Mike's window is 2004-2010, last tasted in September 09. I'd say drink up, and savor the moments this is showing brilliantly. A very worthwhile experiment.
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A beautiful zin. Nowhere near being over the hill. Plenty of fruit and drinking wonderfully. Heady perfume, brambly fruit, nice finish. Probably as good as it is going to get, so drink up.
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Not as good as other Tom Feeney's I had over the years but tasty none the less. Starting to lose some of its fruit so best to consume my last bottle over the next 6 months.
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Good to taste a Carlisle with some age on it. Good fruit, not overly complex, but very enjoyable with Italian fare. VERY easy to drink. Downed a bottle without blinking. Looking forward to the 05s once they've laid down a bit.
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Zin OL Long Beach I took this to the OL and somehow it got lost in the shuffle. It was a little reticent for a Zin or maybe past it's prime. Not memorable like the 04 & 05 RRV.
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Enjoyed over two days. Reticent nose of brambly fruit. On the palate blue fruits are ripe, rich, spicy and pure. Viscous and silky mouthfeel. Not a ton of complexity but quite tasty. Finish is short, but offers abundant juicy fuits while it lasts. I like this but question the QPR at $30+ I paid.
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Christmas Eve Dinner (Warren, MI): Aromatic nose of ripe black fruits. Palate has medium concentration, pure fruits and good length. Lacks complexity but is a well-made, fun zinfandel.
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Well...this bottle was more like what I have come to expect from Mike's zins and was much more robust than the first bottle I opened a few months ago. The previous bottle was light on it's feet and lacking the brambly dark zinberry fruit I enjoy so much in Mike's wines. This bottle, however, was all about mouthfilling brambly dark zinberry fruit, a touch of anise with good spicyness and a long balanced lush zinberry spicy finish. I hope my last 2 bottles are showing this well. Oh, and as usual, there is no sign of the alcohol.
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This was my first Feeney so I was not sure what to expect and I was surprised. This wine is a pinot lovers zin and is a much lighter version than what I am used to with Mike's zins. Having said that it is a very nice zin with boysenberry/zinberry/raspberry on the palate with a slightly shy nose. The finish is red fruit with some spice and just a slight bitterness that is not a distraction but the finish is clipped. On day 2 the nose was still reticent but the palate was still strong and the finish had fleshed out nicely and extended in length. Although this is certainly in a different mold than other Carlisle zins I am use to I really enjoyed its elegance.
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Very good wine. Smoother than anticipated. Mild camphor nose, purple-garnet color. Not as fruity or peppery as it could have been, but thoroughly enjoyable on a cold evening with simple pasta and tomato sauce. Opens nicely.
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Dark purple color. Rich and chewy plum fruit tempered with herbal edges and spicy green peppercorn on the finish. Though hardly understated, it is not as extracted as most other Carlisles I have tried. A nice food wine, it paired well with grilled flank steak. Drink now through 2007.
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My least favorite of the wines from the Carlisle I've have had over the past few years. It did not have the zin flavor that Mike's wines conjur up just thinking about the label. It did have plenty of structure which should allow it to live a long life. But, lacking the fruit, I'm not anxious to open another anytime soon with so many other Carlisle zins in the cellar to choose from.
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Seattle's 'Twisted Tongues' rock out with some ZINs (Mercer Island, WA, USA): Tasted blind at TT Zin Night. Deep ruby color. Pepper and vegetal nose? Is this a Zin? On the palate, full bodied with cherries and berries and a nice finish. I think it is a Zin. A well crafted one, with nice balance throughout. Group Ranking (1st of 15) My Ranking 90+ points and (7th best of 15) >This wine obviously showed well tonight. It had a very tight deviation of high scores. I was among those that scored it at the lower end. Something seemed strange about the nose to me. Once the wines were unveiled, I never got a chance to get back at it. It had more admirers than Fonzi.
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Had this with simple grilled duck breast and Chino farm mashed potatoes. This seems to be the least exuberant of the 2002 Carlisle zins, but it has a nice backbone of acidity and very pure fruit flavors. It seems to build in concentration and intensity through the delicious finish.
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10/22/2012 - europat55 wrote: 83 Points
2002 Zinfandel Retrospective (Tasted Blind) (Rich and Peggy's House, Los Altos): Somewhat offending nose. Average palate. Tasted blind.
My 9th. Group's 6th.
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6/20/2011 - BradboBaggins Likes this wine:
SAWIRA nails a lot of my impressions. This is occasionally clumsy, but has many more moments of brilliance than not. Tons of fruit left, much more than its other flavors, but there is some complexity there. The structure is fully mature and will start fading in a year or two, but there is a good balance, but definitely one for those who like the ripe side of their zins. This has aged very well, and I think Officer's window of 2004 to 2010 is a bit short. This probably has another year or two before itll lose much and gain little. Delicious stuff.
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1/10/2011 - sawira wrote: 93 Points
I've saved this bottle since release to test my palate's preference for Mike Officer's Zins. Color retains plenty of purple with the red, not as much of a purple monster as on release, but no bricking, amber or browning and only the tiniest hints of lightening salmon at the rim. Nose muted at first and then unfolding to show ripe and amost (but not quite) jammy red and black berries, with some vanilla in the background. On the palate this explodes at first with huge brambly zin fruitedness, then gets a bit cough syrupy at the 15 minute mark. I was worried the test was over, but no. Within another 10 minutes a tamed beast appeared - smoky, earthy, mineral imbued balance appears for the sweet, full-bodied fruit. There's even a sour component adding texture. The last glass at the 90 minute mark was the best. This is superb and the test confirms what I suspected - I like Mike's wines with some age. Another lesson is how wines like this at the tail end of their curve demand respect and attention. There were many moments this was clumsy, yet even more where it was exhibiting the last gasps of peak aliveness before senescence, but which could have easily been missed in a crowded room. Mike's window is 2004-2010, last tasted in September 09. I'd say drink up, and savor the moments this is showing brilliantly. A very worthwhile experiment.
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3/1/2009 - smokie wrote:
A beautiful zin. Nowhere near being over the hill. Plenty of fruit and drinking wonderfully. Heady perfume, brambly fruit, nice finish. Probably as good as it is going to get, so drink up.
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4/23/2008 - Screameagle wrote: 90 Points
Not as good as other Tom Feeney's I had over the years but tasty none the less. Starting to lose some of its fruit so best to consume my last bottle over the next 6 months.
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4/5/2008 - rmsanz wrote: 91 Points
Good to taste a Carlisle with some age on it. Good fruit, not overly complex, but very enjoyable with Italian fare. VERY easy to drink. Downed a bottle without blinking. Looking forward to the 05s once they've laid down a bit.
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2/13/2008 - oaxaca90049 wrote:
Zin OL Long Beach I took this to the OL and somehow it got lost in the shuffle. It was a little reticent for a Zin or maybe past it's prime. Not memorable like the 04 & 05 RRV.
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3/9/2007 - Nanda wrote: 89 Points
Enjoyed over two days. Reticent nose of brambly fruit. On the palate blue fruits are ripe, rich, spicy and pure. Viscous and silky mouthfeel. Not a ton of complexity but quite tasty. Finish is short, but offers abundant juicy fuits while it lasts. I like this but question the QPR at $30+ I paid.
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12/28/2006 - Ali wrote: 87 Points
As mentioned by others, a good wine, but lacking the complexity I expect from a Carlisle Fenney Ranch
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12/24/2006 - Nanda wrote: 89 Points
Christmas Eve Dinner (Warren, MI): Aromatic nose of ripe black fruits. Palate has medium concentration, pure fruits and good length. Lacks complexity but is a well-made, fun zinfandel.
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9/5/2006 - oaxaca90049 wrote: 90 Points
Had a bottle at Excelsior in Telluride. Jammy nose that revived us after a long day of film going. simply delicious.
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6/5/2006 - vinoveritas wrote: 91 Points
There's no escape from this big bold zin. Enjoyed over 2 days.
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5/9/2006 - RussW wrote:
Drink 'em if you got 'em. Still drinking well but I do not see it improving and think it will start declining in another year.
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12/24/2005 - RussW wrote:
Well...this bottle was more like what I have come to expect from Mike's zins and was much more robust than the first bottle I opened a few months ago. The previous bottle was light on it's feet and lacking the brambly dark zinberry fruit I enjoy so much in Mike's wines. This bottle, however, was all about mouthfilling brambly dark zinberry fruit, a touch of anise with good spicyness and a long balanced lush zinberry spicy finish. I hope my last 2 bottles are showing this well. Oh, and as usual, there is no sign of the alcohol.
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10/26/2005 - RussW wrote:
This was my first Feeney so I was not sure what to expect and I was surprised. This wine is a pinot lovers zin and is a much lighter version than what I am used to with Mike's zins. Having said that it is a very nice zin with boysenberry/zinberry/raspberry on the palate with a slightly shy nose. The finish is red fruit with some spice and just a slight bitterness that is not a distraction but the finish is clipped. On day 2 the nose was still reticent but the palate was still strong and the finish had fleshed out nicely and extended in length. Although this is certainly in a different mold than other Carlisle zins I am use to I really enjoyed its elegance.
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10/26/2005 - Quequeg wrote: 88 Points
Very good wine. Smoother than anticipated. Mild camphor nose, purple-garnet color. Not as fruity or peppery as it could have been, but thoroughly enjoyable on a cold evening with simple pasta and tomato sauce. Opens nicely.
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8/25/2005 - Quequeg wrote: 88 Points
A little bit of cough syrup on the opening; quickly mellowed. A dandy addition to homemade macaroni-and-cheese.
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5/24/2005 - otisabdul wrote: 89 Points
Dark purple color. Rich and chewy plum fruit tempered with herbal edges and spicy green peppercorn on the finish. Though hardly understated, it is not as extracted as most other Carlisles I have tried. A nice food wine, it paired well with grilled flank steak. Drink now through 2007.
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11/24/2004 - JFish wrote: 87 Points
My least favorite of the wines from the Carlisle I've have had over the past few years. It did not have the zin flavor that Mike's wines conjur up just thinking about the label. It did have plenty of structure which should allow it to live a long life. But, lacking the fruit, I'm not anxious to open another anytime soon with so many other Carlisle zins in the cellar to choose from.
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11/5/2004 - lorenzo wrote: 90 Points
Seattle's 'Twisted Tongues' rock out with some ZINs (Mercer Island, WA, USA): Tasted blind at TT Zin Night.
Deep ruby color.
Pepper and vegetal nose? Is this a Zin?
On the palate, full bodied with cherries and berries and a nice finish.
I think it is a Zin. A well crafted one, with nice balance throughout.
Group Ranking (1st of 15)
My Ranking 90+ points and (7th best of 15)
>This wine obviously showed well tonight. It had a very tight deviation of high scores. I was among those that scored it at the lower end. Something seemed strange about the nose to me. Once the wines were unveiled, I never got a chance to get back at it. It had more admirers than Fonzi.
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7/25/2004 - JP wrote: 90 Points
Had this with simple grilled duck breast and Chino farm mashed potatoes. This seems to be the least exuberant of the 2002 Carlisle zins, but it has a nice backbone of acidity and very pure fruit flavors. It seems to build in concentration and intensity through the delicious finish.
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