Thursday, January 14, 2010

Wine of the Week: Carlisle 2007 Two Acres, Russian River Valley



Divas, it's almost Friday, and you know what that means! 

The weekend is almost upon us.  And what's on many of our minds?  Well, if you're anything like Kuzak and me, you're already contemplating 1) what you're going to cook, and 2) what you're going to drink.  In the service of part two, I thought I'd write about Carlisle, one of our favorite California wineries. 

Located in Santa Rose (Sonoma County), Carlisle produces top quality old vine, vineyard designated Zinfandel and red Rhone blends (syrah, grenache, mourvedre and petite syrah).  The other week, Kuzak and I popped a bottle of their 2007 Two Acres red wine, a Rhone blend dominated by mourvedre (84%), but also containing petite syrah, carignane, alicante bouschete and syrah.  A highly unusual blend to say the least, which made us all the more excited to taste it.  Foremost on my mind as we readied our first taste, was famed Chauteauneuf Du Pape winery Chateau de Beucastel which also makes mourvredre-dominated wines, and happens to be one of my favorite producers in the world. 

The Two Acres was amazingly concentrated with dark ruby coloring and cherry flavors and velvety on the tongue and through the finish.  This wine would hold up well to robust meat and food, spice, flavor.  It's a big wine, the perfect antidote to the cold winter chill.  Given its excellence in youth, it is clear that this wine has the ability to age well over the next decade, or maybe more.  And yes, it did call to mind Chateau de Beaucastel, but displayed its Sonoma Coast terrior beyond the shadow of a doubt.  It's easy to see why Robert Parker rated several of the 2007 vintage between 94 and 97 points (big scores!), and this wine 90 to 92 points. 

A fabulous wine from a fabulous winery, and I can't wait to try more of the bottles nestled in our cellar!  

Pricing
Most of Carlisle's wines are very reasonably priced, costing between $35 and $45 dollars on release.  While their website is sold out of the Two Acres, it can be purchased from secondary retailers for around $39.99/bottle.  This is a very reasonable price for this quality of wine.

As always, I highly recommend joining their mailing list for first crack at their releases at the best prices! We're members.   Click here for their mailing list.

Click here to buy the 2007 Two Acres from Woodland Hills Wine Company for $39.99/bottle!

Winery Information
Carlisle Winery & Vineyards
P.O. Box 556
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
(707) 566-7700
wine@carlislewinery.com

Click here for Carlisle Winery's website!

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