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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.3 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 142 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Robert R. on 12/1/2023: Consumed over two evenings. Typically my favorite Carlisle zin, but not this time. Looking at some notes my experience aligns with QUILLER. Thought it was flat, a little bitter/overripe on the back end, and just not very interesting. So, disappointed but will take another swing. (574 views) | | | Tasted by rustyRudy on 8/24/2023 & rated 94 points: Brick red, cinnamon spice, cedar menthol and licorice on the nose. Blackberry, cinnamon, cherry, moderately tannins and ample tartness to balance everything (840 views) | | | Tasted by galewskj on 6/24/2023 & rated 94 points: Monumental fresh berries, a touch of a cream, spice, full-bodied without being heavy or confectioned. Fantastic, and it's great that Carlisle continues to get grapes from this vineyard that is now owned by Crimson Wine Group (Seghesio). (1062 views) | | | Tasted by tomlee on 6/1/2023 & rated 94 points: Crimson in color. 15% ABV. 89% Zinfandel and 11% Mixed Blacks. Charming nose of red fruits, peach and citrus. Medium body with mouth watering acidity and perfect balance. The fruits are less bright and juicy than a few years ago but still prominent and incredibly elegant. Cherry, cranberry, pomegranate and pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. 2015 was a great vintage for Carlisle and the Montafi has aged beautifully. Best over the next 1-2 years. (1082 views) | | | Tasted by AllRed on 5/28/2023 & rated 92 points: 42nd Annual Zinfandel Retrospective - the 2015s (R&D's): Blind. Aromas of macerated cherry, red briary fruit and spice. Picks up pepper and herb notes with air. Flavors of red berry fruit, white pepper and currants. Balanced. Finishes with nice length. There's an elegance here that I really like. 92-93 pts. (R&D)
My #1, Domino's #1
Group #7, 53 pts (1213 views) | | | Tasted by GARDEN on 5/9/2023 & rated 93 points: This took at least 10 minutes in the glass to fully blossom. (860 views) | | | Tasted by RichEB1 on 3/17/2023 & rated 93 points: Word around the campfire is that the 2015 Carlisle's are on fire right now (pun intended).....and I 1000% concur. This was a beautiful mix of brambly raspberries, baking spice, and a huge wave of acidity to wash everything down in a medium+ bodied mouthful of goodness. Love Carlisle. Love Montafi. And this is about as good as it gets. Cheers @carlislewinery (1046 views) | | | Tasted by ogres3 on 2/22/2023 & rated 92 points: In a great drinking window, excellent wine, great fruit, a zin with a bit of heat, big finish, top third of Carlisle zins.
Tried to give it a 92.5.... (1109 views) | | | Tasted by galewskj on 1/10/2023 & rated 94 points: This zinfandel was cracking! Monumental fresh berries, a touch of a cream, spice, full-bodied without being heavy or confectioned. Fantastic, and it's great that Carlisle continues to get grapes from this vineyard that is now owned by Crimson Wine Group (Seghesio). (1282 views) | | | Tasted by lvjohn on 12/23/2022 & rated 94 points: As wonderful and possibly better than our first bottle. It is just amazing what these old vines wines can taste like. Lots of dark red fruit, a bit of spice, big mouthfeel, and nice, clean aftertaste. (923 views) | | | Tasted by SchlaepDog on 12/15/2022 & rated 94 points: Very nice balance of layered red and black fruit, earth, spice, and integrated oak. Tannin is mostly integrated and the finish long and smooth. Superb Zinfandel that is just entering its prime drinking window. Drink now- 2025. (924 views) | | | Tasted by EMTAME on 11/15/2022 & rated 93 points: Quintessential Russian River Zinfandel, to me, with lots of cool blue fruit augmented by a touch of red. Just a little bit of spice and a wisp of acidity. This is at peak to my palate and, if I had more, I would enjoy them over the next two years. Simply delicious stuff. (1055 views) | | | Tasted by SpoochMan on 11/9/2022 & rated 92 points: First of the 15 Montafi's for me. This bottle was really nice. Smooth texture, lots of fruit, ripping acidity. Great stuff. Will be near peak for the next few years. We typically like our Carlisles starting 6-7 years past vintage. (1005 views) | | | Tasted by galewskj on 7/16/2022 & rated 92 points: Tom and Joe visit Dan's: Dark berry, earth, cassis. This was a rich zinfandel. (1417 views) | | | Tasted by tbrader on 6/4/2022 & rated 90 points: Black currant, eucalyptus. Smooth, flat, not much grip or zest. (1319 views) | | | Tasted by Drankthewholebottle on 5/28/2022 & rated 94 points: Still looking bright and flashy the nose is pretty shy. Lush and racy red fruit and a long juicy finish. (1336 views) | | | Tasted by Quiller on 5/21/2022 & rated 89 points: Opened, poured and let sit about 45 min. Then: Kind of darkish nose. Reddish-dark fruit on tasting; good balance; tannin not an issue; still nice acidity; nice mouthfeel; good structure; maybe a bit heavy on the finish. Pleasant wine, but no complexity, pretty monotone taste; maybe more Bordeaux-style, with slightly more fruit. Nothing "wrong" with this, but it also is not very interesting and lacks the spicy, wild berry old-time zin taste. Maybe hold any remaining bottles a while longer to see what develops.
Day 2: This has mellowed or smoothed out a bit and is still pleasant. Now, maybe a hint of that wild berry taste. Only a hint, but suggests that waiting 6 months or so for the next bottle may be a good plan. (1479 views) | | | Tasted by Jahull03 on 5/1/2022: Hello old friend - drinking great right out the gate, probably right in the zone maturity-wise. Just easy-drinking, with round dark fruit and leather, excellent balance for a large-ish wine and enough complexity to keep the second glass interesting. (1557 views) | | | Tasted by lvjohn on 1/24/2022 & rated 94 points: A superb wine with great depth. Somewhat complex tasting with solid core of dark red fruit and spice. Enjoy now. Drank over three days and it improved with time. (1518 views) | | | Tasted by Geoff on 11/24/2021 & rated 92 points: Delicious zin with juicy red fruit, full bodied and some secondary notes appearing. Sweet tannins resoling but definitely present, civilized in the mouth. Green notes resolved. Long finish. (1591 views) | | | Tasted by Mtnmd1 on 11/14/2021 & rated 92 points: Really hit its stride in the 30-60 minute range and continued to drink well through the evening. Good balance. No off notes. This will be in a good spot for a few more years. Maybe storage issues for those less impressed? (1541 views) | | | Tasted by Quiller on 10/9/2021 & rated 89 points: Opened, poured and let sit about 45 min. Then: I would agree with much of BHRH's 10/2 note below. This bottle started out a bit disjointed, but over time moved to slightly overripe with a hint of prune, then pretty standard "modern" zin. Reddish-dark fruit, but somewhat monotone. The last 15 min. was better than the first 15 min. 89 might be generous.
Day 2: Picked up pretty much where it left off on Day 1, although the faint hint of overripeness lingered. Still fairly monotone fruit taste from start to finish. Pleasant, but a bit disappointing. (1793 views) | | | Tasted by BHRH on 10/2/2021 & rated 90 points: We're big Carlisle fans, but this was slightly disappointing. Purchased directly from the winery and stored pristinely.
Decanted 45 minutes. Nose initially slightly overripe and plummy. Then kind of shut down. Palate featured nice raspberry and slightly jammy black fruit flavors with a touch of black pepper. Finish was fleshy but neither long nor terribly distinct. Showed some improvement after another hour in glass, but generally this came across as a slightly restrained, soft, lighter bodied zin with slightly overripe fruit. Very good, but not as memorable as so many other Carlisles that we've had. Perhaps it needs more age, but the structure didn't seem to indicate that...
(1708 views) | | | Tasted by pmarlo on 9/16/2021 & rated 92 points: All the corks of the wines I've rated on CT today are about the same color magenta: those wines were monastrell, a brunello, and now this zinfandel. (the CT auto correct wanted to say monastery and brunette, which would have made this a different story altogether.) These Carlisle zins never taste like a so-called typical zion, as they have more nuances to them. they often taste like a cross between a pinot and a softer stray, with a bit of aged Italian chianti there. But it's a zin alright. Very fragrant also. I felt I had this one a bit early but when I let it set in the glass, it was ready, as it also was the next day. There's a depth to this wine hard to put a finger on, but i think if you served it blind the average taster would have a hard time identifying the grape. A good wine and one worth trying again. If I had another I would like to try it in 23025 to see how it came along. Recommended. (1612 views) | | | Tasted by PSUSteve on 4/11/2021 & rated 94 points: PnP. While rich and fruit forward (blackberry laced with raspberry), it was balanced and hid the higher alcohol level. Spice highlighted the finish. (2071 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Carlisle Producer website
2015 Carlisle Zinfandel Montafi Ranchfrom release newsletter:
2015 Russian River Valley “Montafi Ranch” Zinfandel Compared to most of our other Zinfandel sources, Montafi Ranch was pruned a bit later in 2015. As a result, weather at bloom was more favorable, leading to far less millerandage and coulure than some other vineyards experienced. In the end, just over two tons to the acre. Not bad for what is regarded as a low-yielding year! Picked first on September 10th with subsequent picks on September 12 and September 19th, the wine was fermented with a combination of local and cultured yeast strains. Aged in all French oak, 26% new, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Tasting Note: Medium garnet-ruby. True to the vintage (at least for Zinfandel), very red-fruited with aromas of red cherry, currant, and the trademark whiff of eucalyptus (although not as prominent as some previous vintages). The wine enters fresh and snappy with flavors of red currants, cherries, and a touch of pomegranate. Youthful tannins emerge in the fruit-filled finish, indicating that this should age well. Enjoy from release through 2027. Zinfandel ZAP: Zinfandel Advocates & Producers | Varietal character (Appellation America) | Wikipedia-ZinfandelUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Sonoma CountyMendocino CountyRussian River Valley Russian River Valley Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia |
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