As we were finishing up our tour of the deLorimier Winery property and winemaking facility, we had the great pleasure to meet with winemaker/owner Diane Wilson. Diane is in charge of winemaking at several of the eleven wineries owned by her and her husband Ken. At deLorimier, some of the winemaking duties are shared with winemaker Antoine Favero, who also handles winemaking at Mazzocco, Jaxon Keys and Soda Rock.
It was especially nice to see Diane Wilson that day, as not only was she knee deep in the end of harvest but our visit was right after the announcement had been made that her 2021 Dry Creek Valley Reserve Zinfandel from Wilson Winery of the Wilson Artisan Wineries had won the Sweepstakes Red award at the recent Sonoma County Harvest Fair. Diane was justifiably proud of this award – one of many accolades she has received over the years. But clearly, she was too busy to rest on her laurels and not concerned about getting her hands dirty – or on this case purple – with the current vintage.
Fortunately, Diane was able to spend a few minutes chatting with us. As many winemakers have commented, the late harvest in 2023 has been challenging but the fruit looks to be amazing, with no problems caused by the late rains that hit the area. Diane also talked about how she is inspired to create unique wines with depth, texture, and balance highlighting each grape varietal qualities.
We needed to let Diane get back to work and it was time for us to taste some more of the wonderful wines she makes at deLorimier. We tasted several of them while sitting on the tasting room patio next to the vineyard, with Joani providing insightful and entertaining commentary…
2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Estate – 100% Sauvignon Blanc, Alexander Valley AVA. Tropical fruits and pineapple notes combine with just enough acidity. A classic Sauvignon Blanc.
2020 Primitivo, Estate – 100% Primitivo, Alexander Valley AVA. Crisp berry and a clean and dry finish. Medium body. 2023 Gold Medal – San Francisco Chronicle.
2020 Zinfandel, Harris Kratka Reserve – 100% Zinfandel, Alexander Valley AVA. Magenta in color, beefy nose with cherry, raspberry notes and soft spices on the palate. Medium finish. One of those vineyards to get excited about when you see it on a list. 2023 Gold Medal – San Francisco Chronicle.
2020 Petite Sirah, River Lane – 100% Petite Sirah, Alexander Valley AVA. Sourced fruit. Deep, dark burgundy color with plum notes. Robust with a lengthy finish. 2022 Gold Medal – Sonoma County Harvest Fair.
2018 Mosaic Meritage – 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, 15% Petit Verdot, 15% Cabernet Franc, Alexander Valley AVA. Mosaic – a special label for a special blend of estate fruit. Meritage is pronounced like “heritage” (please don’t make it sound French!) and was coined to pay homage to the heritage of California wines, specifically blends of the Bordeaux varietals. Dry, stone fruit with mild tannin which highlight the flavors of this blend. Long, rich, even finish.
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Smith Orchard – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley AVA. Lots of big, ripe berry on the nose. Smooth and refined.
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve Rockpile – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, Rockpile AVA. When you see the Rockpile on a label, you know it will be delicious. This one was luscious and smooth with a long, elegant finish.
This was a great experience at deLorimier winery, from the stay to the tour to the wines. We want to thank everyone involved for making it possible. We had an amazing time. The stay at the vineyard was so comfortable. At the end of the day, it was easy to decide to stay in and watch the sunset over the vineyards and the surrounding mountains, sipping on some deLorimier wine, of course.
deLorimier Winery
2001 CA-128, Geyserville, CA 95441
Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.
