2009 Carlisle Two Acres

The 2009 Red Wine Two Acres is an intriguing blend of 70% Mourvedre, 15% Petit Sirah, 10% Syrah and 5% assorted other grapes from a site planted in 1910. A clean vein of minerality runs through the dark fruit in this silky, gorgeous wine. Blackberries, graphite, cassis and smoke are some of the many notes that flow through to the long, pure finish. I also tasted the 2002, a wine that has many years of fine drinking ahead of it. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. This is a fabulous set of wines from Mike Officer and Carlisle. Best of all, the wines remain very reasonably priced considering the quality and passion that goes into the bottle. Along with Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock, Mike Officer is focused on seeking out the finest old-vine sites in California, which have either been neglected over the years, or are being bought by large-scale wineries who have little interest in discovering the quirks of these very old vineyards, most of which are planted with field blends that truly harken back to another era. The wines are made with indigenous yeasts and aged in French oak barrels, usually in the 20-30% range. I tasted all of the 2010s from barrel the day before they were scheduled to be moved into tank. Tel. (707) 566-7700; www.carlislewinery.com

(this year's blend is 70% mourvedre, 15% petite sirah, 10% syrah, 4% carignane and 1% alicante bouschet): Dark purple. Wild, expressive aromas of blackberry, dried flowers and spices, with a subtle licorice nuance. Enticingly sweet but also showing impressive energy and clarity to its dark berry preserve and violet pastille flavors. Finishes with mounting, broad tannins and very good length. This reminded me a lot of zinfandel and comes off far more polished than most mourvedre-dominated wines.