2014 Limerick Lane Russian River Valley Syrah-Grenache

The 2014 Syrah/Grenache blend (67% Syrah and 33% Grenache) is also aged the same amount of time in neutral oak, but production is slightly larger at 580 cases. This wine has a Mediterranean personality. Notes of lavender, ground pepper, blackcurrants, black cherries, raw meat and smoked game are all present in this full-bodied, richly fruity, Rhône-like wine. It has light tannins, loads of fruit, a voluptuous mouthfeel and should drink well for the next 5-6 years. Alcohol here is relatively moderate at 14.4%. The owners of the well-known Marietta Cellars, the Bilbro family, have taken this once-moribund producer, Limerick Lane, and resurrected it to impressive heights of quality. This estate always had some fabulous terroirs spread among their 30 acres of relatively old-vine mixed black blends, dominated by Zinfandel and, to a certain extent, Syrah. They started with a difficult challenge, the 2011 harvest, but brothers Jake and Scott Bilbro hit pay dirt and have continued to build on that success with fabulous wines in 2012, 2013, and again with the following 2014s. (RP)