Black pepper, sage, rosemary, olives and blackberries all come to life in the 2011 Syrah Rosella’s Vineyard. A wine with true cool-climate overtones, the Rosella’s is absolutely stellar today. Brisk, saline notes give the wine much of its energy. Quite simply, this is one of the very best Syrahs I have ever tasted from the Santa Lucia Highlands and a great example of cool-climate California Syrah. Congratulations to Gary Franscioni for producing such pristine fruit, and to Mike Officer for getting the most of it! Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. Proprietor Mike Officer arrived with a bevy of wines for our tasting, all of which I was thrilled to sample. Readers who don’t think terroir exists in California should check out the Carlisle Zinfandels and Syrahs, many of which emerge from old-vine, heritage sites that nearly disappeared until Officer and some of his peers rescued them from the brink of oblivion. In particular, the 2011 Zinfandels are fabulous. Officer describes 2011 as a very late harvest. The Syrahs were all picked after the rains, while the thinner-skinned Zinfandels naturally came in quite a bit earlier. Officer told me he performed a severe selection of fruit that took with it a full 50% of the production. For his efforts, Officer has been rewarded with a set of gorgeous wines, although I imagine his faithful clientele won’t be too thrilled with the lower production levels of these wines, given their already minuscule production. Unfortunately, 2011 Compagni Portis and Gruner Veltliner were to be bottled right after this tasting, so I will have to wait until another opportunity to sample those wines. Carlisle is resolute in keeping his wines affordable, a commendable approach I wish were more common throughout California.Tel. (707) 566-7700