2013 Limerick Lane 1023- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (10/7/2015)
The box arrived at UPS yesterday afternoon, and by the evening it was in my house and open. I decided to try the 1023, a blend of primarily Zinfandel and Syrah, with a touch of Grenache thrown in.
What I found was a big wine, bigger than I normally go for. My first reaction was essentially, “whoa, this is huge” but after that initial reaction I was able to see past the unaccustomed weight to the flavors and in fact balance of the wine. The rich berry fruit was accented with dusty earth and some herb nuances on the fringe. The Syrah came though both on the front end and the back, as some pepper and tar nuances added complexity to the Zinfandel exuberance. No heat intruded on the wine, so it was quite easy to drink, though I did stop after two glasses owing to the 14.7% alcohol. I’m looking forward to the rest of the bottle, and seeing how a little air transforms (or not) the wine.
[quote=“D@vid Bu3ker”]2013 Limerick Lane 1023- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (10/7/2015)
The box arrived at UPS yesterday afternoon, and by the evening it was in my house and open. I decided to try the 1023, a blend of primarily Zinfandel and Syrah, with a touch of Grenache thrown in.
What I found was a big wine, bigger than I normally go for. My first reaction was essentially, “whoa, this is huge” but after that initial reaction I was able to see past the unaccustomed weight to the flavors and in fact balance of the wine. The rich berry fruit was accented with dusty earth and some herb nuances on the fringe. The Syrah came though both on the front end and the back, as some pepper and tar nuances added complexity to the Zinfandel exuberance. No heat intruded on the wine, so it was quite easy to drink, though I did stop after two glasses owing to the 14.7% alcohol. I’m looking forward to the rest of the bottle, and seeing how a little air transforms (or not) the wine.
David,
I think maybe we should talk about swapping wine for descriptions! My employees have all been giving me a hard time saying that you described it better than I could.
One of my biggest challenges at Limerick Lane is wrapping my head around the size of the wines and the relative balance of the wines. We are picking and subsequently making wines at numbers we never have before and the result is very full bodied/powerful wines that I (at least) wouldn’t necessarily think would be balanced to the level they are had I not tried them. I wish I could take some form of credit in this arena but I really have to step aside and attribute it to the site. In addition, while our tenure at Limerick Lane has been very short, having tasted through the library, I can confidently say that 1023 as well as others will age and improve with some time in bottle. You may win the record for fastest pop and pour!
In any event, just my $.02.
Jake Bilbro
Limerick Lane Cellars/Marietta Cellars
This is the first LL wine I’ve had and S*** it was tasty! Debated about opening it so soon, I’ll save my other bottle for a while, but glad to know there’s more to enjoy.
)