2003 Carlisle Zinfandel Rossi Ranch

The 2003 Zinfandel Rossi Ranch is a blend of 80% Zinfandel and 20% Alicante Bouchet, Petite Sirah, and such obscure black varietals as Grand Noir. From a vineyard planted in 1910, it exhibits a saturated dark ruby color, an extraordinary nose of damp earth, blackberries, raspberries, graphite, and spice, full body, high but sweet tannin, and a blockbuster finish. Mike Officer told me that when he was a home winemaker, he won his first gold medal as an amateur with his 1993 Rossi Ranch Zinfandel. Enjoy the 2003 over the next 7-10 years. A “good feeling” story is that of Mike Officer, a home winemaker who began his own winery, Carlisle, in 1998, while he was still working as a software developer. The huge success he enjoyed among his mailing list customers, who quickly recognized his dedication to serious winemaking from old vineyard sites, allowed him to abandon his software career to become a full-time owner and winemaker. These are all big, but incredibly well-balanced, fresh wines. Officer is not afraid to push ripeness to the edge, but, remarkably, the wines are never over the top, revealing tremendous textures, aromatics, and ripeness. He has become one of the top three or four Zinfandel producers in northern California, and also demonstrates a sure hand with Syrah and some of the old field blends planted by Italian immigrants over a century ago. Tel. (707) 566-7700; Fax (707) 566-7200