Several weeks ago my girlfriend and I had an opportunity to visit Limerick Lane Cellars and sit down and taste wines with the owner, Karen Francis DeGolia, and winemaker, Chris Pittenger. Karen purchased Limerick Lane from Jake Bilbro in 2022 but her history with the winery dates back to the early 90’s. Karen was engaged to Limerick Lane founder and winemaker Tom Collins. When Tom unexpectedly passed away Karen moved away to pursue other interests. Karen returned to Limerick Lane in 2002 in a variety of roles before leaving again in 2004. When Jake put the winery up for sale during the pandemic Karen jumped at the chance to buy it.
I last visited Limerick Lane in 2019 and earlier this year when Karen invited me out to taste the new releases I knew it was time to revisit a long time favorite of mine. Before we get to the wines though I think it is worth noting that Limerick Lane is thriving in a time when more wineries than not are seeing sales decline and direct to consumer business shrink. Karen’s business prowess is shining though with an increase in restaurant distribution, a renewed focus on the wine club, wine club events and even two separate VRBO opportunities on the estate grounds.
Karen, Chris and the two of us sat down at a large table in the tasting room and tasted the 2021 Russian River Vally, Rocky Knoll, Maffei, Monte Rosso, 1910 Block and Marquis. I was too busy chatting with Karen and Chris to take detailed notes but each wine was exceptional. In separate blog posts I have recently posted detailed notes on the Russian River Valley and the 1910 Block and Marquis. The wines are characterized by mouth watering acidity, bright red fruits with a firm emphasis on balance. All six wines would score in the 95-97 point range but the two clear stand outs were the Monte Rosso and Marquis. The Monte Rosso for the notable structure and power and the Marquis for the sheer purity of fruit. Both Zins are amongst a handful of the best wines I have had this year.
With Karen at the helm and Chris making the wines the future of Limerick Lane could not be brighter. The wines are better than ever and the winery could not be in better hands. I’ll be back soon and would encourage readers to visit the winery and sign up for the wine club or mailing list.