Slightly translucent red in color. Aromas of blackberries and spice. Precise on the palate, blackberries, blueberries, spice. Peppery on the mid-palate. Fine Tannins, bright acidity, good balance. Finishes sharp, clean, dark fruited and very long. Perhaps a hint of heat is evident but nothing bothersome (14.9% ABV). Becomes lusher with food. Very nice wine, perhaps a bit past prime but still drinking well. Drink over the next 3 years.
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93% Syrah, 5% Grenache, 2% Petite Sirah: 232 Cases: Syrah from Jemrose Vineyard in the Bennett Valley, Grenache and Petite Sirah from Rossi Ranch in Sonoma Valley. Pop and pour enjoyed over about 3 hours, in the glass still a vibrant dark ruby-purple, minimal changes to translucent on the edges. Nose on the first glass was incredibly concentrated on dark blue and black fruits with tobacco influence. 30 minutes in the nose was more forth coming with black cherry, raspberry, licorice, beef, pepper, chocolate and violet florals. Body continues the concentrated nature at first with a full-bodied wine giving way to a softer one with the good acidity cutting through. Perhaps can become even more silky on the palate, but already nearing velvety. Finish is heavily influenced by the tobacco and trails off with additional menthol spices with a touch on initial fruits. QPR through the roof. . Wine making Note: Aged in all French oak, 22% new. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
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Opened with a nice aroma. That disappeared quick and this was reduced to bulldozer-strength, super dense fruit. No real style, just power. It walloped the zins on the table and was the star over those with fruity fruits. Until an 07 Oakville cab came in and showed us all what balance looks like. Bummer. Held it 10 years. Maybe too long. Maybe not enough.
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Similar notes to other tasters. It seems that I (and my wallet) tend to prefer the Carlisle appellation syrahs and zins more so than the single vineyard wines of the same type!?!? Am I weird or do others agree? I'm not trying to cheap out as I have single vineyard syrahs and zins.
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Big, rich, deep purple coloring and fruit. Glad this had a few years before opening. Drank lighter than its nose but still an unabashed syrah. Serving with a steak and roasted root veg dish and it paired nicely with that. A good value, but not for the faint of heart.
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P&P and consumed over 2 hours. No formal notes. First off, an amazing QPR. Beautiful black fruits, black cherry, dusty spice, subtle ripe blueberry cobbler, and an almost honeyed floral/hint of lavender note on the finish. Superb balance and medium+ length. A super delicious and enjoyable wine...sad it is my last.
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6 hour decant and then followed for 4 hours. Continued to get better throughout. At first it was just excellent but I would say it poked its nose to the very excellent category by the end. After 6 hours, there was cherry fruit and some spice, which was just fine with Flannery custom burgers (be sure to add the dry aged ends for extra flavor), caramelized onions and brussel sprouts sauteed in bacon an garlic. Four hours later, there was raspberry and other dark berries showing through with an earthy herbal component and an extended finish. There were tight tannins throughout so this is still on the upswing. The Carlisle SV syrahs from 2008 should wait 3-5 year at least, and my guess is that they will still be blooming fruit through 2020 and beyond.
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Last notes on 1/30/12. This time out no decant but Vinituried into glass. Nose: Similar to last notes with herbs, moss, and sweet dark fruits. Palate: Soft tannins and sweet blackberry, cassis, still good acidity and a medium length finish. Impeccable balance! This is outstanding stuff and my last bottle, but if you have some this can go quite a bit longer given all the intensity and tension still present, and most of all, great balance. This is the best base bottling I've had from Carlisle. Fantastic!
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The wine is a deep purple color. The intoxicating nose has crushed blackberries, charred meat, black pepper, potpourri, eucalyptus, and Asian spices. This has medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity. The wine is a bit more restrained on the palate with blackberries, pepper, and spice taking center stage with some dark chocolate and a minty note coming in on the back end. The finish has decent length but does leave you wanting a bit more. This is still on the young side and the finish may flesh out a bit more with some cellar time. For under $20 this is a steal.
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Popped for an hour. Eggplant, then a ruby rim. Blackberry, sassafras, cinnamon, mineral, mesquite and soy sauce. There's Soooo much dark berry flavor and this encompassing Syrah is indicative of Mike Officer's style: A true Rhone lover. Long and plush on the finish. Full and quite approachable, not meek in righteous acidity. Drink now - 2020.
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Great nose of dark fruit, black licorice, mesquite, meat and smoke. An equally rich palate with bbq, blackberries and spice. Great balance, medium acid, tannins and finish. This is still quite young and this was my only bottle; I'd love to try it again in a few years.
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Only a couple hours in the decanter. Thick deep purple in the glass. Nose of drop dead ripe black berries, wet slate and rock, slight tar, wild flowers, green herbs and meaty spice. Got better with more time. On the palate gobs of juicy fruit, warm aged oak - thick and heady with just enough tannin to make it all sing. Finishes with a hint on licorice. PJG: 91
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Cherries, meat, pepper, anise. Hard to go wrong for $25 on this one. I suspect you should drink this one now while you wait for the Papa's Block and James Berry to come around.
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As the previous posted stated this is a great wine at any price. Just wish I had more than one bottle of this wine left. Drinking so good now there is no reason to wait.
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2 hour decant (recommended) Nose: Expansive aromas of herbs, stone minerals, moss and dark fruits. Palate: Up front dark fruits with good acidity, soft tannins, and a medium length finish. While still quite young with a couple hours (or more) of aeration this can be open for business now. I am always amazed at how good these base bottles of Carlisle are...a real credit to the Officer/Maddox team.
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Pulled this last night, enjoyed about 2/3rds ith family, finishing the last small glass tonight so sufficiently aired out. Dark color and the aromatics are pretty seductive, opulent--this is not a delicate syrah. Iron, floral and I get some heat this time. Fat texturally, although not real complex, more of a sipper. Melted licorice, tar and some milk chocolate. Acidity is moderate but on the lighter side so I don't see this as a long ager. What it is now is more decadent, dark and a short term 'make you smile' bottle. Drink now through 2013.
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Enjoyed with my Hanukkah candles and fried potato pancakes! Tremendous color and body with loads of dark fruits and a hint of spice. Wish I had more...
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Popped and poured, drank over 2 nights. Wine is very dark purple, almost black. Crushed red fruit on the nose. Black fruit with spice on the palate. Initially get a real vanilla taste from the oak. Finishes smoothly. Nice bottle.
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Decanted for 30 min, nice complex nose leaning towards dark fruits, and delicious balance of fruit and spice in the mouth. Phenomenal QPR. I won't find out how these will age because it's drinking so well now!
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Just delicious. For an appelation wine and sub $30, I don't see how this can be beat. It was primary and lacked some of the complexity of the SVDs but otherwise is an absolute winner. Deep dark fruit, spice, tar, concentrated, long finish. Absolute winner.
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30 minute decant. dark rich fruit on the nose, with sandlewood and cedar. In the mouth, explodes with dark fruit, spices and forest undergrowth. layers of fruit is a good description.
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A little boring and awkward at first, full of ripe plum and blackberry fruit, firm tannins and some alcoholic heat, but with a couple of hours it settles down and becomes quite pleasant to drink as smoky and chocolate nuances develop around the fruit and the alcohol integrates. It's certainly a very big, ripe and forward wine, but decently balanced and a nice match with braised ribs.
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Oh man is this a good bottle of wine!! My first experience with Carlisle and quite impressed. Nose of dark fruits and on the palate.....WOW....raspberry ganache, blackberries, tannins keep all flavors in place and nice acidity. The balance is incredible. What a QPR at $20. Need to seek out more.
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Wow - just exceptional QPR here. Rich black fruit, pepper and vanilla spice nose. Palate is richly fruited and juicy with waves of fresh fruit. Definitely good balance and an easiness on the palate. Medium-long fresh finish.
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As before, cool fruit on the nose, but the palate is creamy and full of blueberries, blackthat berries and some oak. Some salinity that lifts the wine a lot, making it feel less ripe than I prefer, still a very good drink.
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Six months have passed since the last bottle, the time has surely benefited the wine. Whereas before the primary and barrel-like youth of the wine showed, less so now. I tracked this wine as I enjoyed it with some mushroom and sausage appetizer, then with chicken marsala. The aeration on the wine really evolves it and over the course of about 2 hours, really shows the changes. The aromatics remind me of Copain: face powder, crushed rocks, some iron. Dark in color, with air it moves from juicy blackberry to a deep blue fruited profile with solid supporting acids to hold it all up. Some charcoal, minerality/tannin, crushed black raspberry, blueberry and some anise finish the wine. The finish shows the crisper acidity and youth, the tannin clamps down some and the wine closes with an earthy blueberry. Sick at less than $20 and once again, QPR rocker. Will age for several years. Awesome.
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Another sacrifice at the alter of Carlisle. Why not? This stuff is religious. Intensely pure, luscious smoked blackberries. Mid palate cream turns sweet on the finish. Just when you fear things might get sloppy, refined tannin and a clean acidic beam lifts the finish and carries it on for days. I grossly under wish listed last fall, but won't make that mistake again. Awesome.
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Dark color. Rich, but lively with dark fruit, meat and pepper all present. Got better and better with air. Good finish. Excellent, and hard to imagine a better bottle of wine for the price.
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Rich, exhuberant fruit. Smoky blackberries. Large, but well balanced. Nice grip on a moderately long finish. Needs time to integrate, but still approachable (and quite delicious) now. This, along with the SC zin are insane values this year!
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Really interesting nose. Some blueberry skin notes (not sweet) and a lot of raw beef. The palate also seems savory to me with some salinity and more raw beef. Doesnt taste like a Cali syrah to me, but I like it.
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Decanted for about an hour. Beautiful aromatics - floral, chocolate, pepper, with a faint heat on the nose - but not too much. Tightly wound, with dark fruits, pepper, chocolate - good acidity. Delicious now, will get even better in a year. Was great with a mesquite-rubbed pork chop.
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Nose of bacon, dark fruit, charcoal, minerality...firm tannin and grip, rich fruit, hints of velvet, blueberry. Will be long lived but I only had one bottle.
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Bold, ride blackberry and boisenberry. Fine tannins with nice acidity. High marks all around at the party! Looking forward to the other bottlings in cellar.
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Quite good, very young but drinkable. Strong floral notes overlying bluberries, blackberries, espresso, buttered popcorn, and fennel. Very strong acids on palate balance the richness, tannins are a bit coarse at the present stage.
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This wine is very young, and shows still some of the primary, barrel-type features. These come out mainly in the aromatics, also perhaps in the evolving weight of the wine, which appreared to be more of a medium body. Spicy, with white flowers and licorice. Saved a full glass for later, will retry tomorrow..........so its tomorrow, so to speak, and I have a better stem with this pour, a different environment, etc. I have to say that some of the youthful primary notes have blended in and the wine is a lot more tame today. Deep cherry and blackberry, chocolate, iron and a bit rough in the midpalate where the youthful side shows, but as it sits and aerates more, it smooths out, becoming more fleshy. Roasted red and black fruits complete the finish, with some supporting acidity. At this stage, a more forward and plump/fleshy syrah that is not overly complex but quite satisfying for a 20 buck blend and one of the reasons that I buy the AVA blend tier of Mike's wines--priced right, delivers and steady.
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Popped and poured. Agree with Jared that this is very reminiscent of a James Berry designation as opposed to a Sonoma Co blend, and at $20, there is very little margin for complaint. Big, aggressive waves of dark blackberry fruit that took on a floral edge with extended time in the glass, but all together in need of a few more months or a year or two to fully show its hand.
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Holy hell, Batman! This is one dark, focused, and intense $19.50 wine. Who doesn't just get giddy when a new pile of Carlisle syrahs land at your doorstep? The only other $19.50 New World wine that can even step onto the mat with this baby is the 07 Carlisle RRV and while that was my QPR of the Year last year, I don't think it's as complex as this wine. This reminded me of a baby James Berry with its tightly focused concentrated fruit, bacon-ness, and touch of heat on the finish. Of course this wine is young and could use a year to integrate the alcohol, but for $19.50, it's perfect to me. Sorry my note isn't more detailed but I was enjoying this too much on a Tuesday night to be bothered! 92pts.
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8/22/2022 - Charlie C Likes this wine: 91 Points
Slightly translucent red in color. Aromas of blackberries and spice. Precise on the palate, blackberries, blueberries, spice. Peppery on the mid-palate. Fine Tannins, bright acidity, good balance. Finishes sharp, clean, dark fruited and very long. Perhaps a hint of heat is evident but nothing bothersome (14.9% ABV). Becomes lusher with food. Very nice wine, perhaps a bit past prime but still drinking well. Drink over the next 3 years.
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5/14/2022 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 91 Points
My last bottle drunk with spaghetti. Even though this may be a bit past peak this amazing QPR was still drinking well. Plenty of fruit, bold acidity.
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4/5/2022 - junetoaugust Likes this wine: 93 Points
93% Syrah, 5% Grenache, 2% Petite Sirah: 232 Cases: Syrah from Jemrose Vineyard in the Bennett Valley, Grenache and Petite Sirah from Rossi Ranch in Sonoma Valley. Pop and pour enjoyed over about 3 hours, in the glass still a vibrant dark ruby-purple, minimal changes to translucent on the edges. Nose on the first glass was incredibly concentrated on dark blue and black fruits with tobacco influence. 30 minutes in the nose was more forth coming with black cherry, raspberry, licorice, beef, pepper, chocolate and violet florals. Body continues the concentrated nature at first with a full-bodied wine giving way to a softer one with the good acidity cutting through. Perhaps can become even more silky on the palate, but already nearing velvety. Finish is heavily influenced by the tobacco and trails off with additional menthol spices with a touch on initial fruits. QPR through the roof.
.
Wine making Note: Aged in all French oak, 22% new. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
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5/5/2021 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank with Brats on the grill. Delicious as expected and quite the QPR deal. Still shows plenty of fruit plus secondary flavors.
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3/10/2020 - Nsm wrote: 89 Points
Opened with a nice aroma. That disappeared quick and this was reduced to bulldozer-strength, super dense fruit. No real style, just power. It walloped the zins on the table and was the star over those with fruity fruits. Until an 07 Oakville cab came in and showed us all what balance looks like. Bummer. Held it 10 years. Maybe too long. Maybe not enough.
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2/18/2020 - jfkwines wrote: 94 Points
Wow, wow, wow wow wow
Drink now
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1/31/2020 - drrobvino wrote: 90 Points
Delicious Syrah, drank at a birthday party. No formal TN.
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1/26/2019 - jfkwines wrote: 90 Points
Really good right now. Still young but in a good place
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8/7/2016 - DesMarteau wrote: 93 Points
wow...really amazine sharp berry flavors integrated with spice....needs an hour to settle the alcohol . Love it.
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6/18/2016 - drrobvino wrote: 90 Points
No formal TN. This Syrah went well with my steak tonite, and should continue to drink well through 2020 or so.
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3/17/2016 - snarfglk wrote: 90 Points
Similar notes to other tasters. It seems that I (and my wallet) tend to prefer the Carlisle appellation syrahs and zins more so than the single vineyard wines of the same type!?!? Am I weird or do others agree? I'm not trying to cheap out as I have single vineyard syrahs and zins.
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10/3/2015 - btock wrote: 90 Points
Big, rich, deep purple coloring and fruit. Glad this had a few years before opening. Drank lighter than its nose but still an unabashed syrah. Serving with a steak and roasted root veg dish and it paired nicely with that. A good value, but not for the faint of heart.
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4/22/2015 - Grape Stuff Likes this wine: 91 Points
P&P and consumed over 2 hours. No formal notes. First off, an amazing QPR. Beautiful black fruits, black cherry, dusty spice, subtle ripe blueberry cobbler, and an almost honeyed floral/hint of lavender note on the finish. Superb balance and medium+ length. A super delicious and enjoyable wine...sad it is my last.
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3/24/2015 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 90 Points
These are great earthy rich syrahs!
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3/3/2015 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 91 Points
remarkably easy drinking wine!
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6/7/2014 - J @ y H @ c k Likes this wine: 90 Points
6 hour decant and then followed for 4 hours. Continued to get better throughout. At first it was just excellent but I would say it poked its nose to the very excellent category by the end. After 6 hours, there was cherry fruit and some spice, which was just fine with Flannery custom burgers (be sure to add the dry aged ends for extra flavor), caramelized onions and brussel sprouts sauteed in bacon an garlic. Four hours later, there was raspberry and other dark berries showing through with an earthy herbal component and an extended finish. There were tight tannins throughout so this is still on the upswing. The Carlisle SV syrahs from 2008 should wait 3-5 year at least, and my guess is that they will still be blooming fruit through 2020 and beyond.
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3/19/2014 - dmalcolm wrote:
A huge wine; very dense and chewy, but also disjointed from the high alcohol. I did not enjoy this.
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11/18/2013 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 86 Points
Not wowed by this Carlisle on either night 1 or 2. Good, but not more. A bit heavy.
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7/25/2013 - Mattshank wrote: 92 Points
Last notes on 1/30/12. This time out no decant but Vinituried into glass. Nose: Similar to last notes with herbs, moss, and sweet dark fruits. Palate: Soft tannins and sweet blackberry, cassis, still good acidity and a medium length finish. Impeccable balance! This is outstanding stuff and my last bottle, but if you have some this can go quite a bit longer given all the intensity and tension still present, and most of all, great balance. This is the best base bottling I've had from Carlisle. Fantastic!
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7/9/2013 - cbbrown3 wrote: 90 Points
The wine is a deep purple color. The intoxicating nose has crushed blackberries, charred meat, black pepper, potpourri, eucalyptus, and Asian spices. This has medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity. The wine is a bit more restrained on the palate with blackberries, pepper, and spice taking center stage with some dark chocolate and a minty note coming in on the back end. The finish has decent length but does leave you wanting a bit more. This is still on the young side and the finish may flesh out a bit more with some cellar time. For under $20 this is a steal.
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6/12/2013 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 89 Points
3 on the AF scale.
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1/4/2013 - sma wrote: 90 Points
Dense garnet with purple edges. Big fruity nose and flavors. Some spice but more red and black fruit. Good acid balance and medium finish.
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11/24/2012 - Matt Scott wrote: 92 Points
Popped for an hour. Eggplant, then a ruby rim. Blackberry, sassafras, cinnamon, mineral, mesquite and soy sauce. There's Soooo much dark berry flavor and this encompassing Syrah is indicative of Mike Officer's style: A true Rhone lover. Long and plush on the finish. Full and quite approachable, not meek in righteous acidity. Drink now - 2020.
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10/31/2012 - David_T wrote: 91 Points
Great nose of dark fruit, black licorice, mesquite, meat and smoke. An equally rich palate with bbq, blackberries and spice. Great balance, medium acid, tannins and finish. This is still quite young and this was my only bottle; I'd love to try it again in a few years.
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10/14/2012 - noahbw Likes this wine: 91 Points
Only a couple hours in the decanter. Thick deep purple in the glass. Nose of drop dead ripe black berries, wet slate and rock, slight tar, wild flowers, green herbs and meaty spice. Got better with more time. On the palate gobs of juicy fruit, warm aged oak - thick and heady with just enough tannin to make it all sing. Finishes with a hint on licorice. PJG: 91
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8/1/2012 - tomlee wrote: 91 Points
Cherries, meat, pepper, anise. Hard to go wrong for $25 on this one. I suspect you should drink this one now while you wait for the Papa's Block and James Berry to come around.
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7/15/2012 - Screameagle wrote: 92 Points
As the previous posted stated this is a great wine at any price. Just wish I had more than one bottle of this wine left. Drinking so good now there is no reason to wait.
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3/24/2012 - bundydavis wrote: 92 Points
1 hour decant. Big, fruity with silky tannins. Just a great wine at any price.
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1/30/2012 - Mattshank wrote: 91 Points
2 hour decant (recommended) Nose: Expansive aromas of herbs, stone minerals, moss and dark fruits. Palate: Up front dark fruits with good acidity, soft tannins, and a medium length finish. While still quite young with a couple hours (or more) of aeration this can be open for business now. I am always amazed at how good these base bottles of Carlisle are...a real credit to the Officer/Maddox team.
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1/4/2012 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Pulled this last night, enjoyed about 2/3rds ith family, finishing the last small glass tonight so sufficiently aired out. Dark color and the aromatics are pretty seductive, opulent--this is not a delicate syrah. Iron, floral and I get some heat this time. Fat texturally, although not real complex, more of a sipper. Melted licorice, tar and some milk chocolate. Acidity is moderate but on the lighter side so I don't see this as a long ager. What it is now is more decadent, dark and a short term 'make you smile' bottle. Drink now through 2013.
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12/25/2011 - pedwards wrote: 92 Points
Consistent notes.
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12/21/2011 - elefkowitz wrote: 91 Points
Enjoyed with my Hanukkah candles and fried potato pancakes! Tremendous color and body with loads of dark fruits and a hint of spice. Wish I had more...
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12/16/2011 - etherscreen wrote:
was pulling splinters from my mouth after drinking this. i've had so many good bottles, not sure what happened here.
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12/15/2011 - The Wine Write wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured, drank over 2 nights. Wine is very dark purple, almost black. Crushed red fruit on the nose. Black fruit with spice on the palate. Initially get a real vanilla taste from the oak. Finishes smoothly. Nice bottle.
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12/11/2011 - MLD70 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 30 min, nice complex nose leaning towards dark fruits, and delicious balance of fruit and spice in the mouth. Phenomenal QPR. I won't find out how these will age because it's drinking so well now!
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11/14/2011 - texaswinelover wrote: 92 Points
Just delicious. For an appelation wine and sub $30, I don't see how this can be beat. It was primary and lacked some of the complexity of the SVDs but otherwise is an absolute winner. Deep dark fruit, spice, tar, concentrated, long finish. Absolute winner.
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7/22/2011 - etherscreen wrote:
delicious as always. can't really do better for the money.
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5/26/2011 - winelovr2001 wrote: 92 Points
good as always!
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4/11/2011 - budman wrote: 91 Points
Delicious. Smooth, intense dark fruit. Long finish.
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2/26/2011 - budman wrote: 90 Points
Awesome dark fruit. Great QPR.
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2/4/2011 - tairanosaurus wrote: 92 Points
30 minute decant. dark rich fruit on the nose, with sandlewood and cedar. In the mouth, explodes with dark fruit, spices and forest undergrowth. layers of fruit is a good description.
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1/18/2011 - salil wrote: 85 Points
A little boring and awkward at first, full of ripe plum and blackberry fruit, firm tannins and some alcoholic heat, but with a couple of hours it settles down and becomes quite pleasant to drink as smoky and chocolate nuances develop around the fruit and the alcohol integrates. It's certainly a very big, ripe and forward wine, but decently balanced and a nice match with braised ribs.
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1/4/2011 - pedwards wrote: 93 Points
Oh man is this a good bottle of wine!! My first experience with Carlisle and quite impressed. Nose of dark fruits and on the palate.....WOW....raspberry ganache, blackberries, tannins keep all flavors in place and nice acidity. The balance is incredible. What a QPR at $20. Need to seek out more.
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12/3/2010 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
Wow - just exceptional QPR here. Rich black fruit, pepper and vanilla spice nose. Palate is richly fruited and juicy with waves of fresh fruit. Definitely good balance and an easiness on the palate. Medium-long fresh finish.
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11/15/2010 - Uglypinga wrote:
As before, cool fruit on the nose, but the palate is creamy and full of blueberries, blackthat berries and some oak. Some salinity that lifts the wine a lot, making it feel less ripe than I prefer, still a very good drink.
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11/10/2010 - texaswinelover wrote: 92 Points
Great concentration. Dark fruit profile, with creaminess. Outstanding qpr.
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11/7/2010 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Six months have passed since the last bottle, the time has surely benefited the wine. Whereas before the primary and barrel-like youth of the wine showed, less so now. I tracked this wine as I enjoyed it with some mushroom and sausage appetizer, then with chicken marsala. The aeration on the wine really evolves it and over the course of about 2 hours, really shows the changes. The aromatics remind me of Copain: face powder, crushed rocks, some iron. Dark in color, with air it moves from juicy blackberry to a deep blue fruited profile with solid supporting acids to hold it all up. Some charcoal, minerality/tannin, crushed black raspberry, blueberry and some anise finish the wine. The finish shows the crisper acidity and youth, the tannin clamps down some and the wine closes with an earthy blueberry. Sick at less than $20 and once again, QPR rocker. Will age for several years. Awesome.
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11/2/2010 - B Paul wrote: 91 Points
Pop and pour - drank well from start to finish. Excellent value.
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10/27/2010 - Jody Smith wrote:
Another sacrifice at the alter of Carlisle. Why not? This stuff is religious. Intensely pure, luscious smoked blackberries. Mid palate cream turns sweet on the finish. Just when you fear things might get sloppy, refined tannin and a clean acidic beam lifts the finish and carries it on for days. I grossly under wish listed last fall, but won't make that mistake again. Awesome.
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10/12/2010 - Amerique wrote: 92 Points
Great, great value. Best wine for the money on the market.
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10/5/2010 - B Paul wrote: 91 Points
Dark color. Rich, but lively with dark fruit, meat and pepper all present. Got better and better with air. Good finish. Excellent, and hard to imagine a better bottle of wine for the price.
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9/30/2010 - Jody Smith wrote:
Rich, exhuberant fruit. Smoky blackberries. Large, but well balanced. Nice grip on a moderately long finish. Needs time to integrate, but still approachable (and quite delicious) now. This, along with the SC zin are insane values this year!
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9/28/2010 - Uglypinga wrote:
Really interesting nose. Some blueberry skin notes (not sweet) and a lot of raw beef. The palate also seems savory to me with some salinity and more raw beef. Doesnt taste like a Cali syrah to me, but I like it.
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9/18/2010 - chapel hill wino wrote:
Blackberries in a glass. too young. WAIT
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9/14/2010 - Amerique wrote: 92 Points
Rich, delicious, full-bodied blackberry fruit with spice, little mocha, and olive flavors, fat, good structure and finish, excellent value
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8/1/2010 - etherscreen wrote:
silly good!
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7/13/2010 - Scott Butler wrote:
Decanted for about an hour. Beautiful aromatics - floral, chocolate, pepper, with a faint heat on the nose - but not too much. Tightly wound, with dark fruits, pepper, chocolate - good acidity. Delicious now, will get even better in a year. Was great with a mesquite-rubbed pork chop.
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7/12/2010 - wineguy58 wrote: 93 Points
Way too young. Listen to mike and wait until 2012. This has the stuffing to last 91-93
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7/8/2010 - CO CHRIS wrote: 92 Points
Nose of bacon, dark fruit, charcoal, minerality...firm tannin and grip, rich fruit, hints of velvet, blueberry. Will be long lived but I only had one bottle.
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6/30/2010 - raydawgone wrote: 94 Points
Bold, ride blackberry and boisenberry. Fine tannins with nice acidity. High marks all around at the party! Looking forward to the other bottlings in cellar.
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6/15/2010 - Haltermr wrote: 90 Points
Quite good, very young but drinkable. Strong floral notes overlying bluberries, blackberries, espresso, buttered popcorn, and fennel. Very strong acids on palate balance the richness, tannins are a bit coarse at the present stage.
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5/30/2010 - Frank Murray III wrote:
This wine is very young, and shows still some of the primary, barrel-type features. These come out mainly in the aromatics, also perhaps in the evolving weight of the wine, which appreared to be more of a medium body. Spicy, with white flowers and licorice. Saved a full glass for later, will retry tomorrow..........so its tomorrow, so to speak, and I have a better stem with this pour, a different environment, etc. I have to say that some of the youthful primary notes have blended in and the wine is a lot more tame today. Deep cherry and blackberry, chocolate, iron and a bit rough in the midpalate where the youthful side shows, but as it sits and aerates more, it smooths out, becoming more fleshy. Roasted red and black fruits complete the finish, with some supporting acidity. At this stage, a more forward and plump/fleshy syrah that is not overly complex but quite satisfying for a 20 buck blend and one of the reasons that I buy the AVA blend tier of Mike's wines--priced right, delivers and steady.
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5/28/2010 - Dale M wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Agree with Jared that this is very reminiscent of a James Berry designation as opposed to a Sonoma Co blend, and at $20, there is very little margin for complaint. Big, aggressive waves of dark blackberry fruit that took on a floral edge with extended time in the glass, but all together in need of a few more months or a year or two to fully show its hand.
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4/22/2010 - Jared wrote: 92 Points
Holy hell, Batman! This is one dark, focused, and intense $19.50 wine. Who doesn't just get giddy when a new pile of Carlisle syrahs land at your doorstep? The only other $19.50 New World wine that can even step onto the mat with this baby is the 07 Carlisle RRV and while that was my QPR of the Year last year, I don't think it's as complex as this wine. This reminded me of a baby James Berry with its tightly focused concentrated fruit, bacon-ness, and touch of heat on the finish. Of course this wine is young and could use a year to integrate the alcohol, but for $19.50, it's perfect to me. Sorry my note isn't more detailed but I was enjoying this too much on a Tuesday night to be bothered! 92pts.
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