Been exercising online to improve your shopping speed? You’re gonna need it today.

Remember the 2012 vintage of this that did not last long back in the Spring? Been BEGGING for more since and they finally came through with the BETTER – if you can believe it – 2014, read on…

A pastoral one-way street just south of Healdsburg called Limerick Lane wraps up 2 wineries right across from one another, the renowned Limerick Lane Cellars whose Zins sometimes fetch FOUR TIMES the secret steal before us today, by their neighbor Due Ruscelli.

Wow, just wow. Look at the accolades and look at THAT discount, and that price. Sub-$20 Russian River Estate Zinfandel is not something we often come by. The same prime spot, obsessed grower, and rockin’ juice, this is exactly what we need as we leave most of the madness that is 2020 behind.

A deep purple says “hello gorgeous” glowing bright cherry red on the rim. More bright cherries hit the nose first and firm, then meld with licorice and plum, with a kiss of nutmeg begging for a sip. Best way to describe how this feels in the mouth is a liquid raisin rum bread pudding, somehow still dried and balanced. Wrap it all up with an exotic mélange of spices, lingering effortlessly with fresh and dried berries. Say, if all day smoked BBQ baby backs are not nearby, enjoy with aged cheeses. If you pop and taste it first, good luck pausing to cut some up before finishing the bottle.

This stunner has Quadruple Gold Medals by the way from 3 different publications or competitions. Named a Primitivo as tribute to the ancestry of “America’s grape” grown in the heel of Italy, this beloved variety just does not get better in intensity and depth, no matter what you call it.

Zin people! Don’t let this one get away, back that truck up, this year ain’t over yet, and we’ll need all the heavenly reds we can get to make it through…

Excuse us while we compete for some now.

94 Points, Gold – Beverage Testing Institute “Primitivo is synonymous with Zinfandel, they are closely related grapes from the same Croatian ancestor known as Crljenak. Primitivo is the Italian version of Crljenak and Zinfandel is the American. Like Zinfandel, it produces lush fruity red wines with soft tannins and higher alcohol. Dusty garnet color. Old World styled, this is rich, full, spicy, and complex. Aromas of plum pudding, maple, Chinese 5 spice, and lilac with a satiny, lively, fruity medium body and a peppery, elegant, long sesame candy, Amarena cherries, ground pepper, and Dijon mustard finish with silky tannins and moderate oak flavor. A lip-smacking Primitivo that is both subtle and memorable with loads of intriguing complexity.”

Double Gold– San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Gold – Sonoma County Harvest Fair