Thanks again to CT members for the tout on this one (Thanks KGOTT2...just one request, and this goes out to all CT members, include some notes with your scores...it helps us understand the thinking behind the score). I bought this recently and decided to open sooner rather than later. Just goes to show you that you never know about the life of a particular bottle of wine. I guess that's part of the thrill! Even on the Carlisle web site, Mike Officer underestimated the longevity of this beauty. His drink chart says "late 2005 to 2008". So here we are, seven years later and, shoo-wee mama, this is absolutely fantastic (just as KGOTT2 scored it)! The nose starts out strong immediately upon PnP with deep dark fruit. The taste follows suit. What's really interesting is how mellow and mature this tastes, without feeling old. I wouldn't say it's got a youthful brightness, more a mid/late-life zest! Aeration: I gave it 1-2 hours and used a Cabernet glass.
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The third Carlisle of the day, lovely nose of blackberry fruit, plum, allspice, and a touch of dry forest floor, clearly older than the previous two tonight, supple, smooth, slightly passed it's peak, medium body, strikingly different and appealing to me more than the other two Carlisle tonight, paired well with roasted turkey breast, delicious, long, long finish.
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Noticed bright red, medium thick, color, Opened with cranberry notes and zinfandel spice on the nose, more of the same on the palate, touch of spritz with the mouthfeel, delicious tasting, medium finish, past its prime but very rich and enjoyable, unfortunately Carlisle no longer buys Tom Feeney fruit. Tom Feeney Ranch makes their own wine and its just not the same, tasted 2 years running at ZAP, same disappointment.
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I know the drinking window for this says 2010 is the end of the road - but what a very fine end this is This od smooth and round and long and consistent from front to back. There is also a little heat felt in the nose - but it is more nasal than taste. I love this wine.
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15.9% ABV. Popped and poured on the deck at the lake after dinner. Deeply colored. Spicy nose of zinberry and eucalyptus. Zippy somewhat high toned red waxy fruit. Great nose on this. This is just a quick impression as the bottle was gone in a matter of minutes.
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A little sesation of spritz, but not unpleasant. Textbook aromas of dark fruits and bramble. Wonderful Zin flavors and a long finish. Typical Carlisle balance. I'm not sure I would hang on to these any longer, as I cannot see this getter better.
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A calebration of zinfandel, with some Aussie-like notes of charcoal on top. A juicy, intense and flamboyant wine that provides tremendous enjoyment with each sip. Sadly, my last bottle.
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Deep red purple color. Amazing concentration. Nose of dark red fruits and lavender, Rich taste of red cherries, raspberries, chocolate, and pepper. Long finish with taste of white pepper. No hint at all of heavy alcohol. A superbly crafted wine that was a pleasure to drink.
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OH MY!! The nose reveals wonderful pumpkin pie spice along with a melange of other baking spices, deep raspberry and a touch of blueberry. The palate is full, rich and exquisitely balanced with lush raspberry, blueberry, blackberry and a touch of acidity that leads to a lengthy finish of pure raspberry and a very slight kiss of bitter sweet chocolate. I revisited the wine 48 hours after being stored in an airtight carafe in the fridge. The nose had fallen off but the palate and finish was still going strong. This is one of my favorite Carlisles to date and very glad to still have 3 left. This is in a great place and I highly recommend pulling a cork.
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Opened on thanksgiving friday but drunk on Saturday and the air helped. Still a little spritz when first opened but then settled down. Nice red fruits.
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This was served blind. I thought this was tannic but did not exhibit any heat on the nose or finish. Although the finish did come off as a little too sharp for me. Notes of pepper and red fruit. A little high on the acidic side as well but a good wine nonetheless. 89 points.
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I brought this to the 3rd Annual Chicago Steak-out blind tasting and it finished in a tie for fourth out of 19 wines. I placed it second (behind an '01 Don Melchor). Loaded with lovely blueberry fruit and a long hedonistic finish that leaves lips and tongue smacking. One of the best zins I've had. Drink now through 2008.
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Napa-Noma Trip: Barrel Sample - this was cropped to 0.8 tons per acre this year. Much darker in appearance compared to previous vintages of this wine. Beautiful crushed blackberry fruit nose. Sweet luscious gulpable stuff. Focused dark fruit. Num Nums. I'm looking forward to this wine again.
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10/28/2016 - awkiii wrote: 90 Points
still great wine
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12/13/2015 - ozziewine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Thanks again to CT members for the tout on this one (Thanks KGOTT2...just one request, and this goes out to all CT members, include some notes with your scores...it helps us understand the thinking behind the score). I bought this recently and decided to open sooner rather than later. Just goes to show you that you never know about the life of a particular bottle of wine. I guess that's part of the thrill! Even on the Carlisle web site, Mike Officer underestimated the longevity of this beauty. His drink chart says "late 2005 to 2008".
So here we are, seven years later and, shoo-wee mama, this is absolutely fantastic (just as KGOTT2 scored it)! The nose starts out strong immediately upon PnP with deep dark fruit. The taste follows suit.
What's really interesting is how mellow and mature this tastes, without feeling old. I wouldn't say it's got a youthful brightness, more a mid/late-life zest!
Aeration: I gave it 1-2 hours and used a Cabernet glass.
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10/1/2015 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
The third Carlisle of the day, lovely nose of blackberry fruit, plum, allspice, and a touch of dry forest floor, clearly older than the previous two tonight, supple, smooth, slightly passed it's peak, medium body, strikingly different and appealing to me more than the other two Carlisle tonight, paired well with roasted turkey breast, delicious, long, long finish.
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6/8/2014 - ronte bello Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful, sweet, concentrated, smooth zin. Wine really opened up after about half hour in the glass. No alcohol bite.
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12/19/2012 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
Noticed bright red, medium thick, color, Opened with cranberry notes and zinfandel spice on the nose, more of the same on the palate, touch of spritz with the mouthfeel, delicious tasting, medium finish, past its prime but very rich and enjoyable, unfortunately Carlisle no longer buys Tom Feeney fruit. Tom Feeney Ranch makes their own wine and its just not the same, tasted 2 years running at ZAP, same disappointment.
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10/30/2010 - JBD wrote: 91 Points
With B&B at Buckeye. Unanimous praise.
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9/6/2010 - JBD wrote: 93 Points
I know the drinking window for this says 2010 is the end of the road - but what a very fine end this is This od smooth and round and long and consistent from front to back. There is also a little heat felt in the nose - but it is more nasal than taste. I love this wine.
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9/5/2009 - OneLastSyrah wrote: 93 Points
15.9% ABV. Popped and poured on the deck at the lake after dinner. Deeply colored. Spicy nose of zinberry and eucalyptus. Zippy somewhat high toned red waxy fruit. Great nose on this. This is just a quick impression as the bottle was gone in a matter of minutes.
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12/12/2008 - smokie wrote: 93 Points
A little sesation of spritz, but not unpleasant. Textbook aromas of dark fruits and bramble. Wonderful Zin flavors and a long finish. Typical Carlisle balance. I'm not sure I would hang on to these any longer, as I cannot see this getter better.
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12/1/2008 - ogres3 wrote:
solid carlisle, but not ethereal
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11/2/2008 - Mr T wrote:
Very rich. People liked this a lot. I did not get to taste much. I found it a rough pairing with the rustic pasta dish
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8/9/2008 - ogres3 wrote: 90 Points
Still with some spritz. Drinks a bit like a Turley. Agree that it should be allowed to sit/decant for a while.
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1/19/2008 - Geoffrey Carter wrote: 90 Points
good after an hour decent. little spritzy at first.
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1/12/2008 - otisabdul wrote: 93 Points
A calebration of zinfandel, with some Aussie-like notes of charcoal on top. A juicy, intense and flamboyant wine that provides tremendous enjoyment with each sip. Sadly, my last bottle.
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1/12/2008 - ogres3 wrote: 89 Points
A bit pop - could be more solid rock n roll. The spritz may fade if you can drink it more slowly.
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9/9/2007 - lpollack wrote: 94 Points
Deep red purple color. Amazing concentration. Nose of dark red fruits and lavender, Rich taste of red cherries, raspberries, chocolate, and pepper. Long finish with taste of white pepper. No hint at all of heavy alcohol. A superbly crafted wine that was a pleasure to drink.
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9/2/2007 - Screameagle wrote: 93 Points
Absolutely incredible zin that is definitely in it's prime. One of the best Carlisle zins I can remember consuming. Kudos Mike.
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8/15/2007 - theferb wrote: 95 Points
Wow! Tons of fruit. Licorice. Amazing zin. One of the best I've had.
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4/23/2007 - jmw2323 wrote: 85 Points
Very disappointing,off bottle so it seems. Hot, tannic, muted fruit
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2/7/2007 - RussW wrote:
OH MY!! The nose reveals wonderful pumpkin pie spice along with a melange of other baking spices, deep raspberry and a touch of blueberry. The palate is full, rich and exquisitely balanced with lush raspberry, blueberry, blackberry and a touch of acidity that leads to a lengthy finish of pure raspberry and a very slight kiss of bitter sweet chocolate. I revisited the wine 48 hours after being stored in an airtight carafe in the fridge. The nose had fallen off but the palate and finish was still going strong. This is one of my favorite Carlisles to date and very glad to still have 3 left. This is in a great place and I highly recommend pulling a cork.
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11/26/2006 - Mr T wrote: 92 Points
Opened on thanksgiving friday but drunk on Saturday and the air helped. Still a little spritz when first opened but then settled down. Nice red fruits.
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4/9/2006 - buckeye76 wrote: 93 Points
LOTS OF FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR, RASPBERIES, CHERRIES, AND CHOCOLATE. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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1/3/2006 - sol wrote: 93 Points
Nice nose. Amazingly, this one hides its alcohol (15.9%) quite well, both on the nose and in the mouth. Smooth, long finish.
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12/13/2005 - zheem wrote:
With David, Kristi and Vicki. Rich, meaty, More friut than you can imagine, incredible bouquet. Jammy and fruity, without being cloying.
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8/9/2005 - AlexRed wrote: 91 Points
dark, creamy mouthfeel. has a kick, but it isn't a problem, the fruit and depth is really great.
love the carlisle
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7/6/2005 - AlexRed wrote: 91 Points
a great carlisle zin. smooth and tasty. lots of fruit, a little zip.
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6/9/2005 - Vino Me wrote: 89 Points
This was served blind. I thought this was tannic but did not exhibit any heat on the nose or finish. Although the finish did come off as a little too sharp for me. Notes of pepper and red fruit. A little high on the acidic side as well but a good wine nonetheless. 89 points.
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6/5/2005 - otisabdul wrote: 93 Points
I brought this to the 3rd Annual Chicago Steak-out blind tasting and it finished in a tie for fourth out of 19 wines. I placed it second (behind an '01 Don Melchor). Loaded with lovely blueberry fruit and a long hedonistic finish that leaves lips and tongue smacking. One of the best zins I've had. Drink now through 2008.
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6/4/2004 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Napa-Noma Trip: Barrel Sample - this was cropped to 0.8 tons per acre this year. Much darker in appearance compared to previous vintages of this wine. Beautiful crushed blackberry fruit nose. Sweet luscious gulpable stuff. Focused dark fruit. Num Nums. I'm looking forward to this wine again.
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