Carlisle Winemaker Dinner with Mike Officer
Luciana's, Dana Point, CA
Tasted May 4, 2014 by brigcampbell with 531 views
Introduction
First, thanks to Mike for supporting this effort and providing a few of the wines and carving out the time to let us badger him. I know he doesn't do many of these types of events so it's greatly appreciated by everybody in attendance. FMIII did another amazing job of organizing the clan for dinner at Luciana's in Dana Point. Below is a picture of the private cellar room where we hid for the evening, very nice atmosphere and terrific food. I typically don't provide commentary on the food but I scratched out a few observations.
A few of the special guests.
Flight 1 - House Salad w/Lemon Vinaigrette (2 notes)
Very simple yet perfectly paired salad with the white flight. I think the lemon vinaigrette beautifully complemented the acid of the wines.
White
2011 Carlisle Compagni Portis
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Light straw color. Aromas of perfume, petrol, and yellow fruit. Medium weight, light spice, pear on the attack, high acid mid palate. Finishes with lots of lemon rind and just a ton of complexity. Reminds me of a Chenin.
White
2012 Carlisle Compagni Portis
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Light straw color. Nose is tight compared to the '11 with a whiff of yellow pear. Flavors of lemon rind, musk, and medium plus acidity. Good complexity.
16 months on lees, no oak, and no malo.
Flight 2 - Butternut Squash Ravioli w/brown butter sauce (2 notes)
Brown butter sauce, you could pour that over gravel and it'd be tasty. The squash had a real freshness to it and it wasn't over cooked into mush. Had a bit of pumpkin flavors too, I like pumpkin.
Red
2008 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Dark garnet. Nose is red berries and bright strawberry. Tastes like dark plum, spice, black pepper, and raspberry. Medium acid and showed a touch of heat in the back of the mouth on the finish. Good stuff. Mike said this vineyard saw a late frost and only produced 1/2 ton per acre.
Red
2011 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Less aggressive than the '08, probably a sign of the vintage which produced great wines across the board for my palate. Red fruit aromas. Acid is showing with lots of fruit, cherry, rapsbery, and blackberry. Medium finish and a soft mouthfeel.
Flight 3 - Garlic Roasted Chicken Breast w/Rosemary (3 notes)
Wow, this was nice. Had the consistency of pork and the roasted garlic and rosemary... Says it all.
Red
2009 Carlisle Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Darker than the previous flight. Intriguing nose. Good palate, coffee, chalk, and blackberry. Nice mineral backbone. Mocha on the finish and the tannins are rounded out.
Red
2010 Carlisle Zinfandel Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Kooky Fanucchi! Carlisle doesn't make wine from this vineyard any longer, it's mixed blacks. Very dark color. Mulded red berries on the nose. Medium spice and blackberry fruit. Very spicy, long finish. Seems like this is high octane.
Red
2011 Carlisle Zinfandel Papera Ranch
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Lighter garnet color compared to the others in the flight. Aromas of mushroom and dried moss. Delicious rhubarb and red fruit flavors. Light and nibble in the mouth. Medium finish. I liked this one the best and the feminine nature is appealing.
Flight 4 - Intermezzo (1 note)
Red
2000 Carlisle Mondeuse
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Can't get this wine anymore, there we're only 100 vines in the Two Acres vineyard until Mike ran one over with his tractor, then there were 99. He then decided to rip them out which he wishes he didn't now. So do we. Only 25 cases made and this was from a magnum.
Very dark, big muscles. I'm getting pine needles, black fruit, anise, licorice, chalky note, and firm tannins. Nice grip on the long finish. While this still has plenty of structure it's nicely balanced.
Flight 5 - Lamb Shank w/fried sage (3 notes)
This was very good. I thought it was short ribs, that's a good thing.
Red
2007 Carlisle Syrah Papa's Block
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Big wine. Moss and dark fruit aromas. Palate of spice, black and red fruit, with a medium oak toast. Even some blueberry flavors. Beautiful, extremely long finish.
Red
2011 Carlisle Syrah Papa's Block
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Lightest color in the flight of Papa's which is a theme for '11. Not giving up much on the nose. Sweet blackberry and a delicate palate. Drinking beautifully right now.
Red
2012 Carlisle Syrah Papa's Block
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Young and vibrant. Sweet blackberry and great complexity. Medium plus finish. Young wine but this will be fantastic and it's drinking well now.
Flight 6 - Polenta Salciccia (3 notes)
The grilled polenta with loads of butter, very decadent. The sausage was nice and lacked any of the gristle or fat you find in cheaper sausage.
Red
2006 Carlisle Syrah Cardiac Hill
USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
Muted nose. Getting that cold climate syrah protein with an ash note and nice minerality. Medium plus finish. Unique compared to other carlisle syrah.
Red
2007 Carlisle Syrah Russian River Valley
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
I have an emotional attachment to this wine because it was the first Carlisle I ever purchased. It was nice to hear Mike kick off the story of this flight with the comment "I've always really liked this wine." Hey, even FMIII loves this one. Dark fruit and cedar, good acidity and perfect balance. Medium plus finish. Hall of Fame QPR.
Red
2008 Carlisle Syrah James Berry Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
This was very popular with the crowd. Really opaque and some more moss on the nose. I picked up moss on a number of wines. All goodness. Beautifully pure wine. Sweet red and blackberries wrapped up with fine tannins. Great balance.
Flight 7 - Dark Chocolate Cheesecake w/raspberries (2 notes)
There's raspberry flavored cheese filling layered with the chocolate. Great consistency and strong berry flavor. Held up to the petite sirah.
Red
2007 Carlisle Petite Sirah Yorkville Highlands
USA, California, North Coast, Yorkville Highlands
I was expecting to get whacked by this wine. I've tasted a few other PS from '07 from various producers and they were very concentrated. Not this wine. While there is still a chambord quality it's balanced with the garrigue and fine tannins. Surprisingly balanced.
Closing
Here's a great piece of nostalgia, Frank brought the very first mailing list flyer he every received way back in 2002. In those days Mike folded, stuffed, and addressed every envelope himself. Ah, the glamour and romance of being a winemaker! The good news is it all seems to be working out for Carlisle.
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