Back to the Future: Limerick Lane & Calera TNs

I used to drink a lot of these CA producers’ wines when I first got into wine decades ago. My tastes have now morphed decidedly French but I thought I’d check in with a few familiar faces from the past.

Calera, Viognier, Mt. Harlan, San Benito, 2016 This bottling was my go-to bottle for grilled salmon back in the day. I remember honeysuckle, peach, a touch of smoke, gorgeous aromatics and glycerin mouthfeel. This particular bottle I got at closeout and was more of an experiment to see what 6 year-old CA Viognier tastes like. I think I waited too long. It had lost most of that palate-coating apricot taste and floral perfume I associate with good Viognier. Instead it drank like an aged Loire Chenin blanc – with a brassy hue and just a bit woolly in mouthfeel. Good persistence and concentration, but the fruit has almost been completely shed in favor of the limestone feel that San Benito is famed for. (I think Calera is a type of limestone.) This kind of reminds me of drinking aged Zin. It’s good but it doesn’t have the ebullience and freshness of it first-blush youth.

Limerick Lane, Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, Collins Vineyard, 2019 I loved this bottle of wine. I used to drink this bottling a lot 25 years ago when I was in my 4R phase: Ravenswood - Ridge - Rochioli - Rosenblum (remember them!). I’ve bought off and on with Jake now at the helm – but I’m always a bit nervous about the 15%-plus ABVs and the creeping prices. But what a revelation. It has that beautiful Electric Kool Aid Acid Test purple hue that almost trembles and glows at the edge. But it’s decidedly red fruited and doesn’t have a trace of heat, caramel/vanilla or portiness to it at all. Nearly 90 year old vines give the wine sappiness and structure but it’s just the joyous, brambly fruit that shines most. A dusting of spice leavens a tightly knit package. Most CA zin can be cloying and tiring, but there’s a succulence to this wine that keeps you craving another sip. Well done!

Bonus pour: Barthod, Chambolle Musigny 1er cru, Fuees, 2014: Man, this was stonier than James Franco and Seth Rogen. Starting to shut down. A bit of a dwarf star wine – lots of matter but it’s starting to turn in on itself. This is how Barthod gets its reputation for colder, harder wines. But I’m confident it will come out the other side. They always do … at least for me.

That’s a good summary of how I feel about Limerick Lane. I buy less than I used to because of price and ABV, but every bottle I do open is delicious.

I’d disagree that most CA Zin can be “cloying and tiring” or maybe the 20 producers or so that I have in my cellar are all exceptions.

Tom

Is it me or is Calera a bit under the radar on this board. Not exactly cool climate but gooD. Single vinyd pinots are very good to excellent in my rather limited experience and the Viognier at 3-5 years excellent.

Limerick Lane zins have this eye-popping character to them that is different than any other zin. Someone else said it’s like you’re watching other zins on regular TV and then the Limerick Lane is in HD.

That’s not me saying they are the best zins overall, but they do have this sort of amazing extra intensity, at least when they are younger.

I remember the first Limerick Lane I had when they first started appearing, maybe around 1990? Luscious zinfandel.

I think you nailed it Chris- they definitely have that ‘extra gear’ when they are young, but it seems to fade pretty quickly a few years after they’re released. And that’s coming from someone who typically likes a little bit of age on their zins.

I suspect their zins will age reasonably well in the way of other good zins, but that special extra bright dimension they have, whatever it is, seems to wear off after a couple of years. So I’d drink them young if you like the way they are young.

LL used to be the #1 producer in my cellar. They do age very well. Always a treat to pull one with a little more age.

Close. At the property where Calera winery is located is an old wood burning chiminea made entirely of limestone (its the logo of the label). Calera is Spanish for limestone quarry. Their wines are so underrated. The way the grapes are grown, the location, make-up of the land and soil and the fact that their clonal material is used by so many super high end estates throughout NorCal. The wines are very structured with a lot of layers of flavor, but not over ripe or out of balance. They are not for everyone. Many have been turned off by the winery being family owned to now a large wine group, but the vines and make up of the land don’t care who owns them. Cheers to Calera

I agree, Calera’s Select is one of my favorite CA pinots.

The vines might care who is making the wine and how its treated!!!
Is Jensen still involved? I didn’t know there was a change of ownership; O have been dilatory on following this, just the odd bottle here and there, and not recently.

Josh Jensen is not involved any longer since the sale in 2017. The winery is owned now by the Duckhorn group.

I thought that as well…and then got burned by holding my 13’s and 14’s for too long. They become considerably worse for the wear much faster than I expected. YMMV of course, but they need to be consumed within 4 years, 5 tops (1023 and 1910 seem to ‘age’ the best…but my timelines hold true for those as well).

And for reference, I typically won’t even touch any of my Bedrock single Vineyard’s until they are at least 5+ years out. LL’s just don’t age the same for some reason. No idea why!

When you say age…what do you mean?

I’ve drank quite a bit of LL and they are considerably less exciting after 4 to 5 years. Would love to hear your timelines for consumption.

I have some Rocky Knoll’s that I have aged 5-6 years and they are still big and primary. They may not have the youthfulness some like but I still feel they are lip smacking and in no way show decline. The 1910 bottling is another one that holds up well 5-6 years. I had a 15’ 1910 in February. I am holding the Hail Mary syrah bottlings from 13-16. I drank my last 12’ last summer. These are excellent bottles of wine.

I am typically trying to drink my zins in the 4-5 year window. I will try to hold a bottle back of some of the larger tasting profiles like Papera Ranch from Carlisle to get even more age on them.

Gotcha! Yep, I agree with the 4-5 year window for LL. I think they’re by far in their sweetpsot up to that point, but i have unfortunatley been super disappointed with how they’ve performed after that. Much less exciting, and bordering on ‘dull’ to me. I’ve had the best luck with the 1023, and to a slightly lesser extent, the 1910. Those are the two standouts for sure in my opinion. I still have a decent amount from 15-16 that I’m trying to drink up as quickly as possible. I’m no longer a buyer because of the price increases and the lack of ageability (at least to my tastes), but they are tasty as hell when young!

And I absolutley agree on holding back many of the single Vineyards from Carlisle! I tend to drink them a little earlier than Bedrock, but still enjoy them more after they have 4 to 5 years of age.

Rocky Knoll has been my favorite LL but we also really enjoy the Hail Mary. Can’t really compare the two age wise since one is syrah v zin. And yeah same here, I dropped off their list with the price increase and also the expensive shipping. They still make great wine, I just had to move on.