Drank at the winery. Spicy, some bay leaf/eucalyptus. The core of this is boysen with dark raspberry and a finish of the signature Carlisle acidity comes through and some tartness too to keep it all bright. Always love this plot, it forms for me the emotional connection I have to Mike and his wines. Always.

Dark, hard cherry candy and lightly jammy. Juicy, my notes have this underscored so this is my indicator that it was a strong presence. Bright acids.

Dark raspberry, crunchy and juicy. Zesty with zippy acidity and lots of energy. This is such a screaming value to get this blend from the key Carlisle OV sources. Delicious.

337 users of this wine? My god. So much support and interest in Zinfandel, a grape that just a few decades ago was about pink wine and bulk quantity. Now, we land here with a vineyard like this, with so much support and love for the wines. Really inspiring. As to the wine, smooth. Showing a light cocoa, boysenberry, dark and razzy with some black fruit. Jammy in the finish with some light structure. Seems to me like this is drinking great now.

This tastes similar to the 2017 barrel sample we had an hour prior. Floral with bacon fat. Dark red fruit, some garrigue and a bigger style.

Fragrant, leather and white flower. Juicy with the same leather in the finish and some minerality.

I am a sucker for Palisades, and sometimes it is Carlisle and sometimes it is Mending Wall. The difference for me is approachability and density, as I find the Carlisle shows a sexy, more accessible quality and the MW showing an intense, coiled core. Both show the pen ink color of the vineyard and yet I think Mike makes (or gets rows, or both) that are more open to the youth and drinking earlier. As to the Carlisle, this one shows dark chocolate, maple syrup (which Brig used as a term to describe the 2016 bottle we drank together a week ago--it's spot on). Medium weight, dark fruit and a touch of chocolate. Pure, red and black fruit into the finish. I do think the 2016 will drink easier and sooner than previous vintages, FWIW.