Limerick Lane Archives - Wine Country Getaways

Vineyards Russian River Valley AVA

July 25, 2017 by Joe Becerra

Vineyards Russian River Valley AVA

The beautiful vineyards in this photo are owned by the St. Francis Winery. The winery and tasting room are located on Highway 12 in Sonoma Valley. These vineyards are located at the northeastern end of the Russian River Valley near Healdsburg. I shot this photo at the Christopher Creek Winery on Limerick Lane. To see this vineyard view go behind the Christopher Creek tasting room and hike up the hill.

Buy a print of this photo. See also the Old Redwood Wine Trail to find Christopher Creek.

Harvest in full swing in California wine country

September 9, 2014 by Joe Becerra

Harvest in full swing in California wine country

Harvest is in full swing in California wine country and will continue until early October. It could be longer if the weather cools below the normal for the year. Following is a description of a crew harvesting a small vineyard at the Limerick Lane Cellars. The winery is located on Limerick Lane in the Russian River Valley. Janelle and I rented a home on Limerick Lane a few years back and were very happy to watch an amazing harvest crew perform their tasks like a well-orchestrated professional sports team.

Harvest activity

At around 6:15 am, a crew of eight begin their harvest work that will take up to mid-morning to complete. The grapes need to be picked when they are cool; otherwise, there can be problems with the natural yeast according to Ross Battersby, the winemaker at the time.

The crew tackles an area of about one hundred feet at a time, cutting and dropping the grape clusters into their bins and then stepping forward to the next row of vines. These are old Zinfandel vines, head pruned, so the harvesters have to duck under the vines to grab the grape clusters. This is not as easy as it would be if the vines were manicured and trained. When their plastic baskets are full, the workers carry them to the large bins, dump, and return to harvest at a furious pace. When a set of four half-ton bins are full, a tractor hauls the bins back to the winery to sit until the afternoon when the sorting and crushing begin.

What was most impressive to me as I photographed and observed the harvest crew was their intensity. I was astonished at their energy, spirit, and good nature. These folks are the unsung heroes of the wine world.

Life on Limerick Lane in Russian River Wine Country

July 28, 2009 by Joe Becerra

We are renting the Santarini House on Limerick Lane very near the town of Healdsburg. Limerick Lane is a small country road that is only about two miles in distance. Meitz, Christie, Christopher Creek, and Limerick Lane wineries are located on this beautiful vineyard-lined country road. Limerick Lane runs into Old Redwood Highway and on this road are located the wineries of Foppiano, Acorn, Rodney Strong, and J Vineyards, all within 2 miles of one another.

This area of wine country is at the northern end of the Russian River Valley AVA. It is a little warmer at this end of the AVA so you find less Pinot Noir growing here than you will find farther south. Pinot Noir is the grape that has made the Russian River Valley a notable AVA. On Limerick Lane there are mostly Zinfandel vineyards but you’ll find some Chardonnay, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah.