The 2018 Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard is even better from bottle than it was from tank last year. What a wine! In 2018, the Carlisle Zinfandel is off the charts. Exotic floral notes, crushed red berry fruit, spice and wild flowers give the 2018 magnificent inner sweetness and perfume that just gains in intensity with time in the glass. The blend of 86% Zinfandel and 14% Mixed Blacks works so well. For readers who want to know why 2018 is so magical in the Russian River and Sonoma more broadly, the 2018 Carlisle pretty much sums it up. -- Antonio Galloni

(95+ points) A big, dense, concentrated Zinfandel (which is the vintage), the purple-hued 2018 Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard offers up a rich, full-bodied style as well as loads of blue and black fruits, full-bodied richness, ripe yet building tannins, and ample cedary spice s well as candied orange nuances.

Old school meets new school in this Zin, which is gutsy yet retains a sense of refinement. Blackberry and blueberry notes give way to briary underbrush and cracked pepper flavors that build tension and complexity toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2031. – TF

The 2018 Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard is composed of 86% Zinfandel and 14% mixed varieties such as Alicante Bouschet and Cinsault from 91-year-old vines. Aged in 23% new French oak, it has a deep ruby-purple color and dense, broody aromas of dried plums, cigar, cedar, olive, aniseed and graphite with floral hints. The palate is full-bodied, ripe and lush, and it finishes with loads of juicy acidity. - Erin Brooks