2016 Carlisle Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
A wine that spent a full 52 days on skins, the 2016 Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard is 100% varietal and aged 16 months in 28% new French oak. Liquid blackberries, plums, blueberries, spice, and hints of scorched earth all flow to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, beautifully pure, elegant Petite Sirah that has sweet tannin, superb purity of fruit, and a big finish. It's going to keep for 15-20 years. Winemakers Mike Officer and Jay Maddox have hit pay dirt with these latest 2016s and across the board, they’re the finest set of releases I’ve tasted from this estate. While Mike’s wines are always deeply colored and powerful, the more elegant, balanced style of the 2016 vintage is front and center and these 2016s just glide over the palate, with perfectly integrated fruit, tannin, and acidity. In addition, most are approachable today given their purity of fruit, yet they’re going to evolve beautifully on their balance. Hats off to the team here and readers should not miss these wines!
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
One hundred percent Petite Sirah from vines planted in 1968, the 2016 Petite Sirah Palisade Vineyard is very deep purple-black in color with very pretty notes of lilacs, black and red cherries, mulberries and sandalwood with hints of menthol and fragrant earth. Full-bodied, refreshing and elegant, it has a gorgeous texture of firm, fine-grained tannins and tons of perfumed black fruit layers, finishing long and minerally. 515 cases produced.
The 2016 Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard is one of the better wines of this highly regarded Napa Valley site. Rich, powerful and explosive on the palate, the 2016 is loaded with character. Beams of tannin and acid enshroud a core of dark Petite fruit. The Petite tannins are present, but also very nicely tamed. This is an exceptional wine from Carlisle. The two lots, both entirely destemmed, spent 46 and 57 days on the skins respectively.