In celebration of Mike&Kendall's announced retirement ystrday, I cracked:
1. Carlisle Zin GoldMineRanch/DryCreekVlly (15.2%; Plntd: 1914; + Carignane; 180 cs) SantaRosa 2008: Very dark color w/ slight bricking; strong blackberry/raspberry/DCV/very spicy some cedary/pencilly/bit toasty oak fairly complex lovely nose showing full maturity; rather tart/tangy fairly rich/lush qute smooth/polished plenty of blackberry/raspberry/DCV spicy Zin/slight peppery bit cedary/pencilly/oak some complex flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long/lingering smooth finish w/ slight tannic bite that follows flavor; speaks strongly of classic DCV spicy/raspberry Zin w/ hints of gold mine tailings; a fully mature complex Zin that's probably not going to improve anymore; probably at its peak or slightly beyond; no signs of age or drying out or falling apart save probably some diminishing of fruit; not as interesting as the RRV Zins and not much OV character but quite a lovely/mature DCV Zin.
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More strellabark from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Gold Mine Vnyd was one that Mike used for only a few yrs as I recall. It was never one that particularly stood out in his Zin lineup. Not sure when he dropped the vnyd.
Tom