We were getting ready for the last three wines from Limerick Lane Cellars at a tasting at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  Karen Francis DeGolia, the owner of Limerick Lane Cellars, was doing the honors of pouring the wines and answering questions.  The vineyard properties are a fifty-three-acre estate in the Russian River Valley district of Sonoma County and just three miles from downtown Healdsburg.   I should also mention that several of the wines had received scores between 94 and 98 points.  They also offer two different places for your visit.  The Hilltop Home can handle ten guests and the Vineyard Farmhouse, which can accommodate six guests.

Our next wine was the Limerick Lane Cellars 1910 Block Estate Grown Zinfandel Russian River Valley 2021, which contains one percent Petite Sirah.  The black label designates that the wine is estate grown.  The 1910 Block celebrates the origins of the estate that was planted in 1910, and they still farm these original six acres.  While the term “old vines” has no real designation, I would say that these vines can claim to be old vines.  The wine was fermented and aged in one-year old neutral French Oak barrels for eighteen months; and there were twelve barrels produced.   This dark ruby-red colored wine offered notes of red and black cherries, violets and rose petals, and a trace of rhubarb and spices.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of cherries and blackberries, blending with spices and bright acidity and velvety tannins that ended with a graceful medium-to-long count finish of fruit and spices.  

The next wine that we had was the Limerick Lane Cellars Marquis Zinfandel Sonoma County 2022.  This wine is a blend of several parcels of “old vines” scattered among the district and an homage to the plantings of the original Italian immigrants and the fruit is from: Limerick Estate, Banfield Vineyards, Bedrock Vineyard, Maffei Vineyards and Monte Rosso Vineyard.  This wine was fermented and aged in one-year-old neutral French Oak barrels and fourteen barrels were produced.  A dark ruby-red colored wine that offered notes of blackberry and dark cherry, with violets, vanilla and sweet spices and Sous-bois.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of the black fruit with traces of blood orange, mocha and cinnamon blending with bright acidity and velvety tannins ended with a long-count finish of fruit, spices and terroir.

The last wine of the tasting was Limerick Lane Cellars Estate Cuvée Russian River Valley 2021.  This Black Label estate wine was a blend of sixty-seven percent Zinfandel, nineteen percent Syrah, eleven percent Mourvèdre and three percent Petite Sirah. This wine was fermented and aged for eighteen months in one-year-old neutral French Oak and there were nine barrels produced.  This wine will always be a different blend depending on the vintage.  This inky blackish-red colored wine offered notes of dark plums and blackberry, followed by herbs, licorice, chocolate and a touch of menthol.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of black fruit, spices blending with good acidity and firm tannins ending with a long-count finish of fruit and spices.  This wine was tasted too young and could really appreciate several years in the cellar.