Dark red, fading to the edges. Aromas of blueberry and blackberry. Intense fruit on the palate but not harsh. Blueberries, blackberries, anise. Fine, firm tannins, good acidity and balance. Finishes long and dark-fruited. Develops a jammy character (not a bad thing) with 30 minutes of air. Gets better and better as it sits in the glass. Very nice and in no danger of fading. I'd drink over the next 4 to 5 years.
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Initial petrol (?) nose that blows off after a while. Substantial fruit, tasting like a younger wine – would guess 2013. Dark purple color – no hint of aging. This was purchased from the winery at release and stored untouched for 14 years. This is a killer bottle of Dry Creek Syrah that shows many years of life ahead of it. I have never had a off bottle of Carlisle – they seem to age forever. This one is an over achiever and has improved with age. Not a bad choice during quarantine!
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Vermouth, smoked beef, wet leather, white pepper and a little blue fruit. Peaking, this will not get any better. A medium-long finish and a lot of depth. More of an initial ripe style that has panned out nicely. Drink now.
Wine evolved through a simple meal from heavy ripe dark fruit to classic smoke, meat lush Syrah flavors, once again a Carlisle classic, this time with 11 years of maturity.
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I will echo the "jammy black berries and prunes" and "silky" notes in other reviews. This wine, like others of this style, border on the edge of over-ripeness, but this one is not over the edge. I love this cocktail wine style and Carlisle might be the best at it of all time.
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The nose wafts scents of dried flowers blackberries. The taste is intense with flavors of blueberries, blackberries, raisins and prune. This is a very fruit-forward Syrah.
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Very nice Cali Syrah, more black fruity than bloody meaty but a delicious quaff and perfect on its own during Sunday football. Fully integrated and ready to go.
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Shared this with Ellen, my 83 yr old "second mom" over dinner at Due Amici. She loved the silky smoothness and balance of this wonderful syrah. What a great wine! Carlisle is never a disappointment and to share this with a favorite person who expereinced something enw tonight, was fabulous!
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Couldn't travel east due to the blizzard so we stayed home and opened this instead. A nice silky bottle of syrah. Purple/magenta in the glass. Some graphite that provides a foil to the deeper purple fruit core. Decanted and served immediately, was good from the first glass to the last. Contrasting that to the '03 Carlisle Bennett Valley I opened not that long ago (which was a bruiser) this was much more approachable. A very nice bottle.
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Alot of white pepper, that did not overwhelm but definetly dominated the front palate. Wine is enjoyable and far from the end of the drinking window. we drank it after a fruity and finely integrated Copain Hawks butte from the same vintage and the differnce was extraordinary.
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Wine, skiing, and snowboarding; 2/20/2010-2/26/2010 (Telluride, CO): Tasted alongside a Lillian '06 and a Jaffur's '07, this was ahead of the Lillian, but a little behind the Jaffurs. Rich with a touch of coffee like the Lillian, but as more of a nuance. Roasted black raspberry fruit. Satisfyingly rich.
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Had half the bottle on night one and felt I would wait for night two to give notes. Getting fruits, tar, and some herb. A touch of heat that seems to come and go. bareley noticeable. Left this bottle open all night and then put the cork in it this morning and back into the cellar until now. I figured I have a day off, rain is falling down in buckets, it is time to check out the Carlisle. Not a significant change there is still fruit, tar, but the herb gives just a hint of tea. Maybe it is just the mood I am in, but subtle tea on the finish as well. The finish is very long and clean. An absolutely pleasant wine. BTW, we are not talking nestea, I am talking sumatra tea, baby.
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Stunning and exuberant on the nose with aromas wafting out including the pure essence of blackberries, creosote, leather, spices, and herbs. Full bodied and heady on the palate with an explosion of fruit including blackberries, currant, and hints of cough syrup and dried blueberries on the long finish. This can handle another five years easily.
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Full of fruit and dark color, along with pure dark berry, tar, apricot pit and roasted coffee notes but don't look for lots of structure. More of a medium weighted forward syrah that drinks well now. Enjoy it for the purity and fruit bowl goodness.
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Splash decanted for 2 hours and consumed over the next 8. A little hot but integrated sweet red fruit, glycerin, toast and olives in the first few hours - delicious. If I had another one - I would pop and pour, as the longer it was open, less fruit and more oak.
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Inky color. Sweet kirsch on the nose. Sweet black and blue fruits on the initial palate, just a touch of heat on the finish. Lacks a little bit of structure.
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A bit disappointed in this--thought it was really interesting on the nose, with floral, creosote and bacon fat notes along with black fruits, but too much heat from the high alcohol dominated the palate. Still worthy, but not as great as is might have been.
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Deep purple and crimson. Nose of dark fruit, spice and vanilla, adding chocolate and some earth on the palate. Oak is a bit more prominent than I'd like. My Carlisle experiences always come from friends, as we're still biding our time on the waiting list, but this is the second time in 10 days that a 2004 Carlisle has been a touch over oaked for my taste. I didn't get that from the 2005 RRV Syrah tasted in the same period. In any case, still a good wine, but it didn't quite live up to expectations.
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Black fruit, smokey, cocoa and smoked meats on the nose. Delicious upfront black fruit, soft and round with air we get some spice and cocoa powder. At first blush seemed a little flat, but opens up to a more structured wine with time.
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Very nice bottle. Although this was my last I did not see anything that indicates a rush to drimk this wine. It should go many more years. Inky purple, earth/fruit nose and deep complex flavors of cherry and spice. Delicious.
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Wow, what a change from my other try at this wine 2 years ago. Then it was hot and unbalanced I thought, but it has really come together, or maybe I just had a bad bottle before. Really fleshed out and not hot here. Big fruit with some secondary meat-y characteristics coming in to play. This really seemed ready and open, but will no doubt go on for several more years too. Excellent tonight....
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blackberry, blueberry and spices with a whiff of white pepper on the nose. lovely soft, juicy tannins, fantastic mouth presence both in weight and depth. some meats developed over time in the glass. superb long finish that reminds you of just how clean and pure the fruit is. mike makes cracker jack wine!
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Inky black and palate staining; new world, but fairly well balanced for such a big wine; deep black/blue fruit, licorice and maybe a note of tar on the palate; loong finish. Bit of heat, but then again its 15+% alcohol. Curious to see what happens with some age.
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NOTE: my bottle threw a pretty heavy sedimnet, would definitely recommend some careful handling & decanting before drinking.
Opened and decanted about an hour before drinking, served below room temperature. A nice big syrah, no rough edges. Lots of fruit, but balanced nicely with tannins and acids. Great finish. Second glass was tasting more structured, oak seemed to be coming through, and was better I thought.
Pity I've only got one bottle left - I think it could easily go another 3-5 years.
Good QPR.
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Great wine, really makes me anxious to make the 'list' (waiting almost 2 years). Meat and red fruit is what I enjoyed from this wine. Expected darker fruit but I was not disappointed; a bit of sweetness but not in a bad way. Really nice wine, not as brooding as some Syrahs, really enjoyed and maybe one day will get more Carlisle in the cellar.
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Searingly hot upon opening; reducing the temperature helped considerably. Very rich, fruit driven wine with the telltale hints of sweetness that Carlisle seems to develop with a bit of age.
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My first Carlisle. Popped and poured. Great nose of dark fruits, meat, dried herbs and spice. Rich blackberries on the palate with more herbs and a nice spicy, fruity finish. Great mouthfeel and energy. Very impressed and a great QPR. Day 2...much more chocolate on the nose than day 1. On the palate, all of the fruit was still there but there was a lot of cocoa and all of the freshness and spicy finish were gone. Disappointed in the turn it took over 24 hours. A 92 day 1 but dinged it a few points for day 2. I'll finish it all on the first day next time.
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Tasted many wines this weekend at a tasting.This wine come from my cellar and was the top wine by far. Blackberries and chocolate with long finish. At the top of its game. Looks like California has finally figured out how to do syrah as well as the French and the Aussies.
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Strong hot violet nose. Viscous inky purple color. Young and fresh red fruit. Berries, honey, cinnamon, slight pine-tar, soft tight tannin and just the barest tickle of heat. A long lingering finish that has me searching for more.
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Really dark purple in color. Nose is beautiful, dark berries and smoked meat, dried herbs. Such a nice wine great dark berry flavor. The smokey element kicks in mid palate and the dried herbs and pepper follow. Fantastic.
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Deep, dark, inky purple color. Smoky crushed blackberries, licorice, pepper, dried herbs on the nose. Full body with ripe, silky tannins and good acidity. Mouthfilling spicy blackberries, minerals, dried herbs on the palate with a bit of oak. Nice, long finish full of the spicy, peppery berries and a bit more oak. Drinking very nicely, but another year will help the oak better integrate on the finish.
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Seems to be drinking pretty well for me. Dark in color, adding olive as it breathed, along with chocolate, blackberry and some flowery notes. Excellent.
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($35) 15.8% ABV. Initially this wine nods toward Australian Shiraz in style given its unctuous black and red berry fruit flavors, but the wine has nuances of smoked meat, roasted earth, and coffee and more structure than most Aussie shiraz. Kept me coming back for more. Nice.
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Decanted for two hours. Still a slight bit hot on the nose. Lots of blackberries, black fruit on the nose with a nice licorice or herbal back to it. Nice mouthfeel, not thick but it has consistency to it. Flavors consistent with the nose. This is drinking wine, not syrup.
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Terrific syrah. Dark, with a big nose of florals and some smoky earth. Ripe blackberry, blueberry flavors, with more soil and smoky undertones. Like virtually all the Carlisles, this has great concentration, allowing all of the flavors to come through but without any heaviness and with some elegance. A very good buy, also.
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This was fantastic. Great berry jam without being over the top. Good acidity, tannin, length, and balance. Pure pleasure here. Post Script 2 Days later - On the third day, this wine was still very good if dense. The alcohol was more apparent, and the tannins, ripe and silky, seemed elevated. The complexity was good but buried under a monolithic core of fruit. This was a very good wine.
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Fantastic nose of berries, floral components and a meat grease smell, very interesting. On the palate this wine was very well balanced with medium complexity. Nice wine.
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dark meaty nose, dark fruits but definitely some ETOH. same theme in the mouth. some nice feel, good dark fruit but again, the alcohol rears its ugly head.
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Drank in an old world versus new world comparison. Definitely new world, but not over the top in terms of alcohol or fruit. First tried after about 1.5 hours open and nice flavors - mint, black fruit, kirsch. A little unsettled. Over time, the fruit worked it's way into the rest of the wine and the tannins came out, almost a little musty. It did not get better over a couple of hours but it was a great pleasure and held it's own.
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The nose on this wine took some coaxing, and at that didn't show much after over an hour in decanter...on the palate this wine was probably the most docile wine I've had from Carlisle - docile meaning easily accessible without anything out of place, but neither did it want to jump up and grab you by the collar and rouse you. The nose really exhibited what I would call bacon frying, some smoke, some meat, blu-er fruit, and a dollop of sweet vanilla...on the palate this wine has weight, towards the heavier side of the spectrum, medium to fine tannins, long, long and sweet blue and red fruit...I would say good +. Not great.
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($36) Slightly woody and dusty aromas over intense red berry fruit. Inky. Bit more structured and closed than the Bennett Valley Syrah I tasted recently. Tending toward red fruit more than black. Still chock full of dense fruit. Pretty good.
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Ive got to say I was somewhat disappointed in this wine. I love Carlisle but this wine was terribly hot. Searing finish that almost made it undrinkable at first to me (and I dont find a touch of alcohol problematic). This seemed to settle a little over the course of 3 hours but it was rather odd. More red fruits dominate, I may have guessed this was Zin if not told I have a feeling?
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deep black and purple fruit with light pepper, spice and a tad of vanilla. nice dusty tannins that bring forth the spice. no heat whatsoever, another fine carlisle wine. thanks mike!
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I would agree with the previous note, heavy deep dark syrah. Fruit is primary but precise and clean. Good underlying acidity. Blavor of black cherry, and slight cotton candy (I've never noted this in a wine). I can feel the alcohol hitting me, but do not notice it as much tasting. Abundant fruit helps conceal this. Not very complex, but all in all a well made wine.
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Heavy, deep syrah, with blueberry fruit profile, and enough soft tannins to frame the wine without apparent heat (impressive given its 15.8 number). A good gripping acidity.
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Color is inky purple. Nose is absolutely beautiful with black berry and other ripe berries. After a while some vanilla shows through with some black pepper. Day 2 was much bigger on the nose - creme de mure. Palate: thoughts right away were OMG Beautiful. Black berry fruit, ripe, but not overy sweet, soft & round texture, with a lot of structure. Sensed a little heat on finish. After 2 hours I saw no heat. Day 2: lush, full, great soft mouthfeel, terrific black fruit, lots of stuffing. I've never had a better CA syrah.
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Very big, and carrying a lot of alcohol, but somehow all in proportion and balance. Drunk over the course of five or six hours, I actually thought the first glass was the best, with the last one starting to show some heat (the temperature of the wine was constant). Not showing a whole lot of complexity at the moment, but I think this will improve with 2-3 years of cellaring.
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Infanticide, but still a geat wine. Black fruit, nice bit of dusty earth and a hint of vanilla creme brulee. Drank over a couple of hours, with the last glass really starting to sing. Will give the other bottle a couple more years.
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1/17/2023 - Charlie C Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark red, fading to the edges. Aromas of blueberry and blackberry. Intense fruit on the palate but not harsh. Blueberries, blackberries, anise. Fine, firm tannins, good acidity and balance. Finishes long and dark-fruited. Develops a jammy character (not a bad thing) with 30 minutes of air. Gets better and better as it sits in the glass. Very nice and in no danger of fading. I'd drink over the next 4 to 5 years.
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3/29/2020 - Bob & Sue Atlanta wrote: 95 Points
Initial petrol (?) nose that blows off after a while. Substantial fruit, tasting like a younger wine – would guess 2013. Dark purple color – no hint of aging. This was purchased from the winery at release and stored untouched for 14 years. This is a killer bottle of Dry Creek Syrah that shows many years of life ahead of it. I have never had a off bottle of Carlisle – they seem to age forever. This one is an over achiever and has improved with age. Not a bad choice during quarantine!
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4/8/2017 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 92 Points
Vermouth, smoked beef, wet leather, white pepper and a little blue fruit. Peaking, this will not get any better. A medium-long finish and a lot of depth. More of an initial ripe style that has panned out nicely. Drink now.
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11/22/2015 - Steve Fishback wrote: 92 Points
Wine evolved through a simple meal from heavy ripe dark fruit to classic smoke, meat lush Syrah flavors, once again a Carlisle classic, this time with 11 years of maturity.
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3/11/2015 - berkeleywinedog wrote: 92 Points
I will echo the "jammy black berries and prunes" and "silky" notes in other reviews. This wine, like others of this style, border on the edge of over-ripeness, but this one is not over the edge. I love this cocktail wine style and Carlisle might be the best at it of all time.
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12/7/2014 - winelovr2001 wrote: 85 Points
Good, but lots of ethyl acetate. Coulda been better
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1/7/2014 - johnwine Likes this wine: 90 Points
The nose wafts scents of dried flowers blackberries. The taste is intense with flavors of blueberries, blackberries, raisins and prune. This is a very fruit-forward Syrah.
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5/28/2013 - johnwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
A beautiful silky wine with delicious jammy black berries and prunes.
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11/24/2012 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rather tasty Thanksgiving wine
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11/4/2011 - JBD wrote: 91 Points
Still splendid.
Enjoyed most of it at Sunday evening dinner - then lost it behind some stuff on the kitchen counter for 2 weeks. Still very fine.
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10/25/2011 - DHJ1968 wrote:
Very nice Cali Syrah, more black fruity than bloody meaty but a delicious quaff and perfect on its own during Sunday football. Fully integrated and ready to go.
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9/17/2011 - JayAAllen wrote: 88 Points
Dark, dark purple - almost black. Fruity, with pretty well softened, integrated tannins. Ready to drink up.
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8/22/2011 - Trish22 wrote: 95 Points
Shared this with Ellen, my 83 yr old "second mom" over dinner at Due Amici. She loved the silky smoothness and balance of this wonderful syrah. What a great wine! Carlisle is never a disappointment and to share this with a favorite person who expereinced something enw tonight, was fabulous!
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4/20/2011 - JayAAllen wrote: 90 Points
Red fruit, soft tannins. Ready to drink.
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1/3/2011 - btock wrote: 91 Points
Couldn't travel east due to the blizzard so we stayed home and opened this instead. A nice silky bottle of syrah. Purple/magenta in the glass. Some graphite that provides a foil to the deeper purple fruit core. Decanted and served immediately, was good from the first glass to the last. Contrasting that to the '03 Carlisle Bennett Valley I opened not that long ago (which was a bruiser) this was much more approachable. A very nice bottle.
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1/1/2011 - brynmair wrote: 80 Points
Not sure of this one. It was not enjoyable initially but I'll give it another try shortly. Then it will be time to open something else up.
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5/29/2010 - ogres3 wrote:
Good nose and fruit. Solid if not spectacular. Had at in-laws Mem Day.
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3/18/2010 - jfkwines wrote:
Alot of white pepper, that did not overwhelm but definetly dominated the front palate. Wine is enjoyable and far from the end of the drinking window. we drank it after a fruity and finely integrated Copain Hawks butte from the same vintage and the differnce was extraordinary.
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2/24/2010 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Wine, skiing, and snowboarding; 2/20/2010-2/26/2010 (Telluride, CO): Tasted alongside a Lillian '06 and a Jaffur's '07, this was ahead of the Lillian, but a little behind the Jaffurs. Rich with a touch of coffee like the Lillian, but as more of a nuance. Roasted black raspberry fruit. Satisfyingly rich.
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1/18/2010 - SPK wrote:
Had half the bottle on night one and felt I would wait for night two to give notes. Getting fruits, tar, and some herb. A touch of heat that seems to come and go. bareley noticeable. Left this bottle open all night and then put the cork in it this morning and back into the cellar until now. I figured I have a day off, rain is falling down in buckets, it is time to check out the Carlisle. Not a significant change there is still fruit, tar, but the herb gives just a hint of tea. Maybe it is just the mood I am in, but subtle tea on the finish as well. The finish is very long and clean. An absolutely pleasant wine. BTW, we are not talking nestea, I am talking sumatra tea, baby.
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11/24/2009 - Badfish wrote: 91 Points
Stunning and exuberant on the nose with aromas wafting out including the pure essence of blackberries, creosote, leather, spices, and herbs. Full bodied and heady on the palate with an explosion of fruit including blackberries, currant, and hints of cough syrup and dried blueberries on the long finish. This can handle another five years easily.
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9/13/2009 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Full of fruit and dark color, along with pure dark berry, tar, apricot pit and roasted coffee notes but don't look for lots of structure. More of a medium weighted forward syrah that drinks well now. Enjoy it for the purity and fruit bowl goodness.
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8/24/2009 - ljl203 wrote: 91 Points
Splash decanted for 2 hours and consumed over the next 8. A little hot but integrated sweet red fruit, glycerin, toast and olives in the first few hours - delicious. If I had another one - I would pop and pour, as the longer it was open, less fruit and more oak.
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6/25/2009 - cookie7 wrote: 89 Points
Inky color. Sweet kirsch on the nose. Sweet black and blue fruits on the initial palate, just a touch of heat on the finish. Lacks a little bit of structure.
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6/21/2009 - sstoloff wrote: 90 Points
A bit disappointed in this--thought it was really interesting on the nose, with floral, creosote and bacon fat notes along with black fruits, but too much heat from the high alcohol dominated the palate. Still worthy, but not as great as is might have been.
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6/18/2009 - T.J.Burn wrote: 88 Points
Deep purple and crimson. Nose of dark fruit, spice and vanilla, adding chocolate and some earth on the palate. Oak is a bit more prominent than I'd like. My Carlisle experiences always come from friends, as we're still biding our time on the waiting list, but this is the second time in 10 days that a 2004 Carlisle has been a touch over oaked for my taste. I didn't get that from the 2005 RRV Syrah tasted in the same period. In any case, still a good wine, but it didn't quite live up to expectations.
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5/7/2009 - caboychuck wrote:
Black fruit, smokey, cocoa and smoked meats on the nose. Delicious upfront black fruit, soft and round with air we get some spice and cocoa powder. At first blush seemed a little flat, but opens up to a more structured wine with time.
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5/2/2009 - dsimmons wrote: 92 Points
Very nice bottle. Although this was my last I did not see anything that indicates a rush to drimk this wine. It should go many more years. Inky purple, earth/fruit nose and deep complex flavors of cherry and spice. Delicious.
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4/18/2009 - meatman wrote: 91 Points
Similar notes to day 1 last time. Didn't have much but the guests loved it.
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3/28/2009 - Ekoostik wrote: 91 Points
Wow, what a change from my other try at this wine 2 years ago. Then it was hot and unbalanced I thought, but it has really come together, or maybe I just had a bad bottle before. Really fleshed out and not hot here. Big fruit with some secondary meat-y characteristics coming in to play. This really seemed ready and open, but will no doubt go on for several more years too. Excellent tonight....
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2/7/2009 - otisabdul wrote: 91 Points
Flamboyant and extracted, as expected. Always a treat to serve a Carlisle to the unitiated.
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1/25/2009 - yogester wrote: 93 Points
blackberry, blueberry and spices with a whiff of white pepper on the nose. lovely soft, juicy tannins, fantastic mouth presence both in weight and depth. some meats developed over time in the glass. superb long finish that reminds you of just how clean and pure the fruit is. mike makes cracker jack wine!
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1/18/2009 - DHJ1968 wrote:
Inky black and palate staining; new world, but fairly well balanced for such a big wine; deep black/blue fruit, licorice and maybe a note of tar on the palate; loong finish. Bit of heat, but then again its 15+% alcohol. Curious to see what happens with some age.
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12/28/2008 - EducatedDrunk wrote: 91 Points
NOTE: my bottle threw a pretty heavy sedimnet, would definitely recommend some careful handling & decanting before drinking.
Opened and decanted about an hour before drinking, served below room temperature. A nice big syrah, no rough edges. Lots of fruit, but balanced nicely with tannins and acids. Great finish. Second glass was tasting more structured, oak seemed to be coming through, and was better I thought.
Pity I've only got one bottle left - I think it could easily go another 3-5 years.
Good QPR.
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12/15/2008 - MBrown wrote: 92 Points
Great wine, really makes me anxious to make the 'list' (waiting almost 2 years). Meat and red fruit is what I enjoyed from this wine. Expected darker fruit but I was not disappointed; a bit of sweetness but not in a bad way. Really nice wine, not as brooding as some Syrahs, really enjoyed and maybe one day will get more Carlisle in the cellar.
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11/9/2008 - bahiadave wrote:
gift
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10/29/2008 - jerhardt wrote: 89 Points
Searingly hot upon opening; reducing the temperature helped considerably. Very rich, fruit driven wine with the telltale hints of sweetness that Carlisle seems to develop with a bit of age.
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9/30/2008 - meatman wrote: 90 Points
My first Carlisle. Popped and poured. Great nose of dark fruits, meat, dried herbs and spice. Rich blackberries on the palate with more herbs and a nice spicy, fruity finish. Great mouthfeel and energy. Very impressed and a great QPR. Day 2...much more chocolate on the nose than day 1. On the palate, all of the fruit was still there but there was a lot of cocoa and all of the freshness and spicy finish were gone. Disappointed in the turn it took over 24 hours. A 92 day 1 but dinged it a few points for day 2. I'll finish it all on the first day next time.
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9/9/2008 - JBD wrote: 93 Points
Splendid
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8/24/2008 - depdoc wrote: 93 Points
Tasted many wines this weekend at a tasting.This wine come from my cellar and was the top wine by far. Blackberries and chocolate with long finish. At the top of its game. Looks like California has finally figured out how to do syrah as well as the French and the Aussies.
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8/1/2008 - ljl203 wrote: 91 Points
Strong hot violet nose. Viscous inky purple color. Young and fresh red fruit. Berries, honey, cinnamon, slight pine-tar, soft tight tannin and just the barest tickle of heat. A long lingering finish that has me searching for more.
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6/27/2008 - caboychuck wrote:
Really dark purple in color. Nose is beautiful, dark berries and smoked meat, dried herbs. Such a nice wine great dark berry flavor. The smokey element kicks in mid palate and the dried herbs and pepper follow. Fantastic.
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5/21/2008 - dsimmons wrote: 92 Points
Delicious Syrah
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5/7/2008 - cbbrown3 wrote: 92 Points
Deep, dark, inky purple color. Smoky crushed blackberries, licorice, pepper, dried herbs on the nose. Full body with ripe, silky tannins and good acidity. Mouthfilling spicy blackberries, minerals, dried herbs on the palate with a bit of oak. Nice, long finish full of the spicy, peppery berries and a bit more oak. Drinking very nicely, but another year will help the oak better integrate on the finish.
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3/22/2008 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Seems to be drinking pretty well for me. Dark in color, adding olive as it breathed, along with chocolate, blackberry and some flowery notes. Excellent.
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3/20/2008 - goofy Yno wrote: 86 Points
nice deep dark smoky nose. dark fruit on the mouth but lots of heat
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3/10/2008 - budman wrote: 91 Points
Just a fantastic experience of dark fruit. I loved it!!
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2/13/2008 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($35) 15.8% ABV. Initially this wine nods toward Australian Shiraz in style given its unctuous black and red berry fruit flavors, but the wine has nuances of smoked meat, roasted earth, and coffee and more structure than most Aussie shiraz. Kept me coming back for more. Nice.
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2/9/2008 - goofy Yno wrote: 90 Points
nice dark fruits, coffee. big feel in the mouth with some acidity, blueberry. nice finish. showed well
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1/5/2008 - dfeiner wrote:
Decanted for two hours. Still a slight bit hot on the nose. Lots of blackberries, black fruit on the nose with a nice licorice or herbal back to it. Nice mouthfeel, not thick but it has consistency to it. Flavors consistent with the nose. This is drinking wine, not syrup.
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12/17/2007 - MJHDC wrote:
Terrific syrah. Dark, with a big nose of florals and some smoky earth. Ripe blackberry, blueberry flavors, with more soil and smoky undertones. Like virtually all the Carlisles, this has great concentration, allowing all of the flavors to come through but without any heaviness and with some elegance. A very good buy, also.
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11/15/2007 - cookie7 wrote: 92 Points
Note after 2 hours in decanter. Nose of licorice and bacon fat. Nice red and blue fruits finishing with a hint of spiciness. Just a great QPR.
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11/14/2007 - mebydef wrote: 94 Points
This was fantastic. Great berry jam without being over the top. Good acidity, tannin, length, and balance. Pure pleasure here. Post Script 2 Days later - On the third day, this wine was still very good if dense. The alcohol was more apparent, and the tannins, ripe and silky, seemed elevated. The complexity was good but buried under a monolithic core of fruit. This was a very good wine.
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10/29/2007 - budman wrote: 92 Points
Sweet dark fruit. An excellent wine that will improve with a few years of bottle age!!!
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10/1/2007 - E wrote: 92 Points
Wow, plenty of syrahs that do not live up to this that are double the tariff.
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9/15/2007 - JCA wrote: 92 Points
EXCELLENT
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9/3/2007 - cookie7 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 90 minutes. Nose of white peppers, black and blue fruits. Big fruits, big tannins and just a great wine.
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8/20/2007 - goofy Yno wrote: 88 Points
dark fruits, roasted meat. some heat. good mouth with more dark fruits, a little heat, monolithic but not a bad effort.
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8/17/2007 - win wrote: 90 Points
Solid, just like the last time.
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6/29/2007 - win wrote: 90 Points
Very nice, solid wine, that I had alongside the 2005 Russian River Valley Syrah, which was better -- more complex.
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6/28/2007 - pakabear wrote: 92 Points
Fantastic nose of berries, floral components and a meat grease smell, very interesting. On the palate this wine was very well balanced with medium complexity. Nice wine.
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5/13/2007 - jerhardt wrote: 88 Points
Big and ripe, with a recognizable Carlisle flavor profile and a bit of heat on the finish.
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5/12/2007 - goofy Yno wrote: 86 Points
dark meaty nose, dark fruits but definitely some ETOH. same theme in the mouth. some nice feel, good dark fruit but again, the alcohol rears its ugly head.
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4/14/2007 - koflaher wrote: 91 Points
Drank in an old world versus new world comparison. Definitely new world, but not over the top in terms of alcohol or fruit. First tried after about 1.5 hours open and nice flavors - mint, black fruit, kirsch. A little unsettled. Over time, the fruit worked it's way into the rest of the wine and the tannins came out, almost a little musty. It did not get better over a couple of hours but it was a great pleasure and held it's own.
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4/5/2007 - CO CHRIS wrote:
The nose on this wine took some coaxing, and at that didn't show much after over an hour in decanter...on the palate this wine was probably the most docile wine I've had from Carlisle - docile meaning easily accessible without anything out of place, but neither did it want to jump up and grab you by the collar and rouse you. The nose really exhibited what I would call bacon frying, some smoke, some meat, blu-er fruit, and a dollop of sweet vanilla...on the palate this wine has weight, towards the heavier side of the spectrum, medium to fine tannins, long, long and sweet blue and red fruit...I would say good +. Not great.
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3/26/2007 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($36) Slightly woody and dusty aromas over intense red berry fruit. Inky. Bit more structured and closed than the Bennett Valley Syrah I tasted recently. Tending toward red fruit more than black. Still chock full of dense fruit. Pretty good.
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3/15/2007 - Ekoostik wrote: 85 Points
Ive got to say I was somewhat disappointed in this wine. I love Carlisle but this wine was terribly hot. Searing finish that almost made it undrinkable at first to me (and I dont find a touch of alcohol problematic). This seemed to settle a little over the course of 3 hours but it was rather odd. More red fruits dominate, I may have guessed this was Zin if not told I have a feeling?
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2/8/2007 - kstoddard wrote:
Nose of cherry kirsch. Searing alcohol (15.8%) on the palate with an extremely bitter, nailpolish finish. Absolutely awful.
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2/4/2007 - AlexRed wrote: 91 Points
deep black and purple fruit with light pepper, spice and a tad of vanilla. nice dusty tannins that bring forth the spice. no heat whatsoever, another fine carlisle wine. thanks mike!
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2/2/2007 - bubbachumps wrote: 89 Points
I would agree with the previous note, heavy deep dark syrah. Fruit is primary but precise and clean. Good underlying acidity. Blavor of black cherry, and slight cotton candy (I've never noted this in a wine). I can feel the alcohol hitting me, but do not notice it as much tasting. Abundant fruit helps conceal this. Not very complex, but all in all a well made wine.
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1/24/2007 - JeffcB wrote: 89 Points
Heavy, deep syrah, with blueberry fruit profile, and enough soft tannins to frame the wine without apparent heat (impressive given its 15.8 number). A good gripping acidity.
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1/15/2007 - caboychuck wrote: 93 Points
Color is inky purple. Nose is absolutely beautiful with black berry and other ripe berries. After a while some vanilla shows through with some black pepper. Day 2 was much bigger on the nose - creme de mure. Palate: thoughts right away were OMG Beautiful. Black berry fruit, ripe, but not overy sweet, soft & round texture, with a lot of structure. Sensed a little heat on finish. After 2 hours I saw no heat. Day 2: lush, full, great soft mouthfeel, terrific black fruit, lots of stuffing. I've never had a better CA syrah.
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12/30/2006 - Spencer wrote: 89 Points
Very big, and carrying a lot of alcohol, but somehow all in proportion and balance. Drunk over the course of five or six hours, I actually thought the first glass was the best, with the last one starting to show some heat (the temperature of the wine was constant). Not showing a whole lot of complexity at the moment, but I think this will improve with 2-3 years of cellaring.
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12/25/2006 - tskrueger wrote: 91 Points
Infanticide, but still a geat wine. Black fruit, nice bit of dusty earth and a hint of vanilla creme brulee. Drank over a couple of hours, with the last glass really starting to sing. Will give the other bottle a couple more years.
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