Carlisle 2023 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel, Russian River Valley

        Limited new release from Carlisle, the Pagani Ranch is one of the top-rated Zinfandels of the vintage. 95 Points Jeb Dunnuck: "The Carlisle 2023 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch comes from the oldest blocks of the ranch, planted in the 1890s in the Sonoma Valley. It pours a bright ruby/magenta color, and the nose is stunning, with beautiful fresh highlights, red and black fruit, and floral perfume shining through, revealing kirsch, hints of fresh blueberries, purple flowers, delicate baking spices, and sweet earth. The tremendous structure emblematic of the vintage is found in this wine, with a tension-driven feel and more nervousness, but it’s fully ripe and will only improve with another year or more in the bottle. Drink 2026-2040. Robert Parker: "...From humble beginnings in 1998, Carlisle continues to go from strength to strength, growing from a solid philosophy of sourcing mainly Zinfandel and Rhône varieties from ancient vineyards in Sonoma and further afield. So, most of the vines used by Mike and Kendall Officer were planted from 1888 to 1934. From 2013, they have their own winery in which to create their magic—the old Robert Mueller winery in Russian River Valley." Just a stone's throw from Carlisle Vineyard, this grande dame of the Russian River Valley was planted in 1934 by Celestino (Charlie) Papera. While many old-vine vineyards contain plenty of mixed black varieties, most of the blocks at Papera Ranch are 95+% Zinfandel. One block, however, does contain a significant amount of Carignan with a sprinkling of Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Valdiguié. Given its cool location, this is one of our later Zinfandel vineyards to be picked.