Carlisle Sierra Mar Vineyard Syrah 2018
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Very dark ruby-purple. Blackberries, sage, smoked meats, and just a kiss of espresso in the deep, concentrated aromas. On the palate, incredibly smooth and well-balanced with flavors of blackberry, white and black peppercorns, and again, just a faint suggestion of roasted coffee.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Also from the Santa Lucia Highlands, the 2018 Syrah Sierra Mar Vineyard nevertheless shows a very different style compared to the Rosella's, offering more fruit and opulence yet slightly less complexity. Blueberries, darker currants, smoked game, black olives, and licorice notes all emerge from the glass, and its medium to full-bodied, with a wonderful texture, terrific richness, and a great finish. It's another just straight-up delicious effort from this estate that's impossible to resist. Nevertheless, it's going to keep for 7-8 years with no issues.
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Wine Spectator
Plump and polished, with well-structured blackberry, cracked pepper, meat and espresso flavors that glide on a rich finish. Drink now through 2029.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Syrah Sierra Mar Vineyard has a deep ruby-purple color and bursts with aromas of cassis, white pepper, mint leaves and bitter chocolate with coffee and char accents. The palate is fully fruited but surprisingly lifted and plush, laced with nuanced flavors and finishing long and fresh. Lovely! 273 cases were made.
Other Vintages
2015-
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast
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Robert
Parker
Carlisle is a small “Mom n’ Pop” Sonoma County winery specializing in the production of old-vine, vineyard designated Zinfandels and red Rhône varieties (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Petite Sirah). They also produce three delicious white wines, two of which are blends from historic, old-vine vineyards plus Sonoma County's first ever Grüner Veltliner.
While Carlisle likes their wines to be bold and intensely flavored, each reflecting its vintage and vineyard, they also strive to create wines of balance, complexity, and nuance.
The goal is always the same - grow and source the finest fruit, do as little as possible to it, and bottle outstanding, pleasurable wine at the fairest price possible.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Perhaps the most highly regarded appellation within Monterey County, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA benefits from a combination of warm morning sunshine and brisk afternoon breezes, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and fully. The result is concentrated, flavorful wines that retain their natural acidity. Wineries here do not shy away from innovation, and place a high priority on sustainable viticultural practices.
The climatic conditions here are perfectly suited to the production of ripe, rich Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These Burgundian varieties dominate an overwhelming percentage of plantings, though growers have also found success with Syrah, Riesling and Pinot Gris.