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Limerick Lane Cellars

Here at Divine Wines, we love to support family-owned wineries and distilleries whenever possible. One that stood out to me recently was Limerick Lane Cellars right outside of Healdsburg, California. Limerick Lane is a small, family-owned and operated 30-acre estate winery that produces cool climate old-vine Zinfandel’s, Syrah and Rhone blends. They have easily become pioneers of viticulture and wine making in Russian River Valley since 1910 when the first grapes were planted.

With almost 5 acres of the original vines planted in 1910 still in production today, their goal is to produce wines that live up to the 100 year heritage. The estate was first planted in 1910 by the Del Fava family. In the mid 70’s, the estate was sold to the Collins family, where both brothers brought passion and dedication to the property. The quality of the wines and reputation of the iconic Collins Vineyard quickly established Limerick Lane as a premier site for growing Zinfandel and Rhone varieties in Sonoma County. The first estate wines under the Limerick Lane label was produced in 1986. The subsequent quality of the wines produced solidified Limerick Lane’s reputation as one of Sonoma County’s premier producers as well.

Over the years, the wines were struggling to stay consistent, with natural disasters occurring as well as personal tragedies also occurring within the family of the previous owners. In 2009, Mike Collins sold the property to Jake Bilbro, who previously worked at his family’s winery not too far away, Marietta Cellars. 2011 was the first year that Jake Bilbro was able to showcase his wine-making skills in his wines. Every since, the wines have been consistent, bold, and highly rated by Wine Advocate as well as Wine Spectator.

With the 2012 vintages coming out now, they have all been rated between a 92 and a 96 from both Robert Parker and Wine Spectator as well. As Robert Parker describes one of our newest and dearest Zinfandel’s, 2012 Rocky Knoll, “Full-bodied with muscular tannins in the finish, it displays a deep ruby/purple color, good acidity, and lots of character, spice, meat and flavor intensity. It should drink well for a minimum of 5-6 years.” This beautiful wine is the epitome of a Russian River Valley Zinfandel, with elegance and finesse. Limerick Lane also limits their usage of new oak in order to focus on the beautiful lush fruit that comes from their soil and non-interventionist wine-making practices.

The wines we currently carry are as following:

2011 Limerick Lane Sonoma Zinfandel- $32.99, 91pts Robert Parker & Wine Spectator

2011 Limerick Lane 1910 Block Zinfandel- $48.99, 95pts Robert Parker

2011 Limerick Lane Grenache/Syrah- $35.99, 93pts Robert Parker

2012 Limerick Lane Grenache/Syrah- $35.99, 95pts Robert Parker

2012 Limerick Lane Rocky Knoll Zinfandel- $46.99, 92pts Robert Parker, 93pts Wine Spectator

We are very proud to carry Limerick Lane Cellars at Divine Wines, and we hope that you will enjoy these beautiful wines as well! About 95% of the 2012 Limerick Lane wines are all sold out, and the 2013 vintage will not be available until February of 2016, don’t miss out on these beautiful wines!