2010 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County

The 2010 Zinfandel is a plump, fleshy wine bursting with energy. Dark red fruit, flowers, tobacco and wild herbs wrap around the palate in this fleshy, seductive Zinfandel. There is a flashy, exotic quality to the fruit that is hard to describe. Let's just say it is awfully hard to put the glass down. The 2010 is 85% Zinfandel and 15% Petite Sirah from vineyards in Russian River, Sonoma and Dry Creek Valleys. There is no question this is one of the finest values in California. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. 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