Limerick Lane Russian River Zinfandel 2017
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Jeb
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Wilfred
Wong -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Aromas of blackberry, raspberry, bramble, cocoa leaf, and wet stones. Flavors of strawberry, black pepper, blueberry pie crust, and wet stones. The mouthfeel is opulent, structured, and has chewy tannins, a long finish with fresh and laser-focused acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Zinfandel Russian River Estate (there's a little bit of field blend here) was brought up in neutral oak, and it offers a ruby/plum color to go with beautiful smoked blueberry and plum fruit intermixed with notes of scorched earth, violets, and ground herbs. With terrific purity, plenty of structure, and good acidity, it's going to benefit from short term cellaring. This is one of those wine that develops beautifully with time in the glass and shines for both its complexity and richness.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine includes small amounts of Peloursin, Negrette, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Carignan, showing the diversity of the historic site. A bright cherry tone mixes with tar and baking spice, with a firm weight and structured tannins that center around a chewy, grippy finish.
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Wine Spectator
Combines polish with torque, offering expressive raspberry and dark plum flavors, laced with briar, savory anise and white pepper notes. Features a rich structure and lively tannins. Drink now through 2027.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: For decades, I have been a fan of the Limerick Lane Zinfandel, and the 2017 vintage ranks up there with their best efforts. TASTING NOTES: This wine is full of red berries and brambleberries. Its generous fruit aromas and flavors should pair it well with BBQ baby back ribs. (Tasted: August 19, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The flagship wine from Limerick Lane, the medium to deep ruby-purple colored 2017 Zinfandel, aged 18 months in neutral oak, features peach preserves and classic stone fruit aromas with red cherries, blueberries, red and black plum, raspberry and rhubarb plus notes of warm earth, cinnamon stick and a spicy streak. Medium-bodied, it floods the mouth with juicy red, blue and black fruits firmly framed with grainy tannins and juicy acidity, finishing long and rich but fresh and lifted. 925 cases produced. Rating: 92+
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In 1977, the Del Favas sold their thirty-acre property to brothers Michael and Tom Collins. Like the Del Favas, the Collins brothers saw the potential inherent at Limerick Lane, and set about improving and replanting the vineyards, including a twenty-five acre field blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, and Grenache--the iconic Collins Vineyard. The brothers brought tremendous passion and enthusiasm to the property, selling some of the grapes as vineyard designates to preeminent local wineries including De Loach, Chateau Souverain, Ravenswood, Davis Bynum and Gary Farrell. In 1985, Limerick Lane Cellars was created to market wines produced exclusively from grapes grown on the estate for the first time under the Limerick Lanes label.
By 2009, Mike Collins was ready to sell, but was unwilling to see the beautiful old vines and all his hard work absorbed into a corporation or fall into the hands of investors just out to make a quick buck. Instead, he approached his neighbor Jake Bilbro and asked if Jake would like to buy Limerick Lane Cellars and the Collins Vineyard. Jake had grown up in the wine business, a member of a family renowned for principled vineyard stewardship and sustainable winemaking. Jake and his young family had moved in across the street from Limerick Lane Cellars in 2007, drawn to the place from which his father, among others, had sourced exceptional fruit. For two years Jake pitched nearly every bank in California before a local bank in Healdsburg finally agreed to give him the loan. Jake’s brother Scot signed on as winemaker.
“The original homestead where Mario Del Fava was born is where my wife, three kids, and I live today,” Jake says. “Literally the day after escrow closed, with our third child on the way, we picked our first grapes of the 2011 harvest. As only the third owners in its hundred and five year history, we feel privileged to steward the Limerick Lane legacy. Pairing modern farming and winemaking techniques with the incredible fruit that only the historic Collins Vineyard can produce, we create wines that live up to the heritage that preceded us--wines noted not only for their exceptional balance and elegance, but wines with a sense of history and place as well.”
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.