March 15, 2024 - Impressive mature Zinfandel. Lovely nose, blackberries, tea and spice. Rich mouthfeel, with layers of blue fruits, earth and leather. Lingering long and complex finish. One of my favorite Carlisle Zinfandel's and treat for devotees of old vine Zinfandel. This did start to fade after a couple of hours, so further improvement seems unlikely and drinking in the next year or so is recommended based on the bottle I consumed.
February 27, 2024 - Popped and poured...inviting nose of blue fruit and spice...wonderful mouthfeel and medium finish...love Carlisle with some age (if you can hold off)...suggest another 2-4 years drinking window.
May 14, 2022 - Drinking beautifully now. Fruit and tannins are resolved. There was a bit of loam at the beginning which reminded me of a Turley Duarte Vineyard, but this has more fruit and structure.
May 14, 2022 - What you want when you open a top class zin, just mellowed a bit by time in the bottle. Perfumed with violets and crushed blueberries in the nose and a touch of exotic spice. Plush full of all sorts of delicious black and blue fruits. Still has enough tannins and stuffing to age for another few years. Really great wine.
February 4, 2022 - Decanted for one hour and consumed over the next three hours. Stunning Zinfandel for Cabernet lovers. Rich dark fruit and tannins made the presence known. In its sweet spot....drink up.
January 9, 2022 - incredible and irreplaceable. Lively and dark fruit oriented. likely another five + years of growth left to it.
November 14, 2021 - Consumed 11/13/2021. Stored at 58 degrees since release. Still going strong, but no reason to wait. Opaque color. Tannins well resolved. Nice balance and mouthfeel. Smooth. Wish it wasn't my only bottle from this vintage.
November 5, 2021 - PnP and drank over two nights. Open after about 90 min, but much better on night two. Still seems to have life ahead as the fruit didn't fade, but also in a great spot with some air. No need to wait.
October 5, 2021 - Crimson in color. 15.9% ABV. Sublime nose of black and red fruits, anise and pepper. Medium to full bodied with strong acidity. The balance is notable. Packed with dark, savory fruits. Black cherry, boysenberry, leather and pepper on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Part of me wishes Mike Officer still had access to Hayne Vineyard fruit because there is no question the wine is distinct from the rest of the Carlisle Zinfandel portfolio. This will be best over the next year or so.
August 13, 2021 - Have saved my one bottle of the Hayne vineyard for a gathering with those that "get it" on the site. Served against a cheese course (aged, hard, salty orientation) with some dried cherries. The wine drank younger than its bottle age, structure still very present and wound tight. Slight magenta coloring on the rims, saturated and intense. Some slight savory notes on the nose, but the fruit is the hero here...frankly less savory than I thought it would be. Opened up in the glass with air and drank well the follow eve too.