By the standards of young Petite Sirah the 2003 Dry Creek is relatively civilized but wow what upside potential. It boasts deep floral notes interwoven with blueberries black raspberries and cassis. Dense and tannic with superb purity and huge full-bodied stature it should be at its peak in 7-8 years and last for 2-3 decades. A â_ogood feelingâ__ 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

Dark and saturated with a firm rich chewy band of earthy blackberry and herbal mulchy notes but it comes together nicely on the palate offering depth complexity and length and the requisite muscular tannins. Decant. Drink now through 2009. 183 cases made. –JL