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Limerick Lane Zinfandel Rocky Knoll 2012 750ml

size
750ml
country
United States
region
California
appellation
Sonoma Valley
subappellation
Russian River Valley
WS
93
WA
92
VM
92
WS
93
Rated 93 by Wine Spectator
Balances a briary intensity with style and polish. Floral aromas of wild berry and underbrush pair with deep, layered flavors of jammy raspberry, smoky spice and licorice. Ripe tannins sneak in on the finish. Drink now through 2021. 150 cases made. ... More details
Image of bottle
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Limerick Lane Zinfandel Rocky Knoll 2012 750ml

SKU 764227
Out of Stock
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Winery Limerick Lane
barrel

Vintage: 2012

2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in. The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
green grapes

Varietal: Zinfandel

Zinfandel grapes are renowned for being quite fast growing and somewhat vigorous, thriving best in climates which are warm, but not too hot. As Zinfandel grapes are thin skinned, they are prone to dry and shrivel in too much heat, and due to the fact that they grow in large, tightly packed bunches, they are also sensitive to rot. As such, Zinfandel is a grape variety which requires quite a lot of care and attention, but which can produce beautiful results given the right conditions. Indeed, this grape varietal is often praised for the fact that it is one which can demonstrate the skill and expertise of the winery processing it, and clearly demonstrates the features of the terroir it is grown. Partly this is due to those thin skins – the lower tannin content in the wines allows other features of the grape to come forward and be displayed in all their various glories. The grapes themselves are known to ripen early, and produce plenty of juice with a high sugar content. It is not unusual, however, for wineries to take a late harvest of Zinfandel grapes, and the concentrated sugars and over-ripe fruits often make for excellent dessert wines, also.
barrel

Region: California

California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.
fields

Country: United States

Whilst there are several strains of native grape varietals in the United States, it was the introduction of the European species which prompted the country to begin producing wines on a large scale. Over the past few centuries, experimentation and cross-breeding has produced great successes in regards to the quality and suitability of the fruit grown in states such as California, Oregon, Washington and New York, and the past few decades have seen New World wines from the United States reach much higher standards. Arguably the finest United States wines have always come out of California, where the climate and terrroir is most suitable for fine wine production. The masterful blending of classic grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, amongst others including Syrah and Chardonnay, have had world beating results in recent years, prompting many to suggest that there has never been a better time for buying and drinking United States wines.
bottle and glass

Appellation: Sonoma Valley

The mid-nineteenth century was a hugely important era for the United States wine industry, and it was in this period when Sonoma Valley was first used as a wine region. The earliest wineries which made the wide and flat valley floor their home recognized the potential the region had, and noted the fantastic climate Sonoma Valley received. Alongside this, they understood the importance of the mineral rich volcanic soils and geothermal springs of the region, which would go on to provide nutrition for millions of grape vines over the next century and a half. Today, Sonoma Valley is one of California's premier wine producing regions, and it is widely agreed that many of the state's finest red and white wines hail from this beautiful area.