Limerick Lane Winery is in the Russian River Valley just south of the town of Healdsburg.The Del Fava family planted the oldest currently producing vineyard at Limerick Lane in 1910, a field blend consisting mostly of Zinfandel. In 1977, the Del Favas sold their thirty acre property to brothers Michael and Tom Collins. The two brothers began by selling some of the grapes to local wineries including De Loach, Ravenswood and Gary Farrell. In 1985, Limerick Lane Cellars was created. By 2009, Mike Collins was ready to sell and asked his neighbor Jake Bilbro if he would like to buy Limerick Lane and the Collins Vineyard. For two years Jake pitched nearly every bank in California before a local bank in Healdsburg finally agreed to give him the loan.
The property is just south of Healdsburg at the end of Limerick Lane. The vineyard was planted around 1910 by Mario Del Fava and has only been farmed by 3 families in the last 100 years. The fruit goes to Limerick Lane, Carlisle, AldenAlli, Matthiasson and Bedrock.
1023 is a blend of the most dramatic, the most striking and compelling lots that Limerick Lane produces in a given vintage. Blended without varietal restriction, the goal is quite simply to produce the best wine possible. 1023 is also a reference to the winery address at 1023 Limerick Lane. 2016 was the last vintage of 1023. The current iteration is known as the Estate Cuvee.
Purple in color. 15.2% ABV. 52% Zinfandel, 45% Syrah and 3% Grenache. Terrific nose of black and red fruits, licorice, flowers and pepper. Medium body with perfect acidity. Exceptional balance. The bright Zinfandel fruits provide a cool contrast to the savory components of the Syrah. Black cherry, raspberry, barbecued meats and pepper on the palate. The finish is long and seamless. I was compelled to open this by a friend’s recent note that the wine was past its prime. I’ll take the other side of this debate. Tonight the wine is absolutely delicious. Best over the next several years.
My rating: 93 points.
This 2019 version of Estate Cuvee will be released later this year.
I’ve been following Limerick Lane since the early 90’s. Consistently delicious Zins and the vineyard could not be in better hands right now. The mailing list here is highly recommended.
I blogged about Limerick Lane Vineyard previously in Top 10 Old Vine Zinfandel Vineyards and A Visit to Limerick Lane.