1999 Last Harvest of the Millennium
We have great aspirations for what will be the last vintage of the century. Definitely one of the top vintages of the decade.
The 1999 growing season had many of us a bit worried, but it finally came in and finished with a bang. The early part of the growing season all seemed well, but after bud-breaking in April, the average growing temperatures never seemed to warm to normal. Throughout the summer and early fall, the lower-than-normal temperatures had us all very worried. In Late September, Mother Nature changed the weather and temperatures for the better. A hot spell just before harvest, gave a huge boost to the grapes ripening.
The 1999 vintage was another later-than-normal harvest. Berry weights were a bit down but with the weather cooperating, we were happy to have this wonderful fruit arriving from the vineyards. From the very get-go, the grapes showed to be another exceptional vintage. In the fermentors, color and flavor extractions were phenomenal. The finished wine in the barrels is showing super intensity of color, flavor, body and varietal character. We believe that the 1999 vintage will rival the 1997 vintage.
What a way to close the century!
*NEW RELEASE*
KARL LAWRENCE CELLARS
1997 Cabernet Sauvignon
With awaited anticipation, we are pleased and excited to announce the release of the 1997 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the seventh consecutive vintage made and blended exclusively from the Morisoli Vineyard in Rutherford and the Herb Lamb Vineyard off Howell Mountain. This 1997 vintage has matured beautifully to be an outstanding Cabernet.
Winemaker Notes
This 1997 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon is upfront and unblushing from the very start. Loaded with rich, sweet, dark fruit aromas that only keep developing with more and more time in the glass. Forward and juicy on the palate, the wine is generous with rich, silky flavors of currant, black cherry and strong hints of dark chocolate. Structured to only improve with time, but definitely a pleasure to drink now.
Wine Shipping
Unfortunately, direct wine shipping is still proving to be difficult and is becoming more expensive. Shipping to many states is twice as costly and takes twice as much time as it does to other states. Karl Lawrence Cellars utilizes Consumer Direct Solutions and Buffalo Shipping Post to ship our wines to you. Expect a separate charge on your credit card from them for shipping. They advise that you have your wine shipped to a business address to ensure that your wine can be received and stored properly. Additional charges for failure to receive a shipment and an incorrectly given address, are the responsibility of the customer.
We strongly believe in the right to freely market and purchase wine. It is very encouraging to see some customers making a difference in a few states working to have those old prohibition laws changed. We thank you in advance for your support. For more information on this issue, please refer to the following web-sites at:
www.winelaw.org
www.freethegrapes.org
KARL LAWRENCE CELLARS
Mailing List
First of all, a huge "Thank You" to all who have supported us throughout the years. It is wonderful to look back and see many that have been with us from the very first 1991 vintage.
To date, the demand for Karl Lawrence wines is greater than what we can supply. As of a couple of years ago, we have had to allocate the portion of wine dedicated to our mailer. Due to allocations, there are many of you on a waiting list to purchase Karl Lawrence wines. We appreciate your patience.
Our most important goal is to always have wine available to our ongoing customers, without the customer feeling obligated to make a purchase or full-allotment purchase, just to stay on our mailing list. We understand that with the increasing wine prices, it is sometimes difficult to purchase some, if any, wine for that year. At the same time, it is sometimes difficult for us to estimate what each customer would like for an annual allotment of Karl Lawrence wine.
This year we will introduce a new order form which will hopefully help the customer and ourselves to better maintain wine allotments. We encourage you to complete the form and mail or fax back to us for reference for the next vintage release. Our goal is to maintain our newsletter and allotments to best suit our customers. As of now, the only polices we have in place for our mailer are:
1)Allotments are observed by the date that the person contacted the winery.
2)Maximum allotment of 750ml bottles is 24.
3)Name is removed after two years of no response.
What is new with us...
Karl Lawrence's partner, Ric Henry, will assist with customer relations for Karl Lawrence Cellars. Ric, working closely with Michael, will begin taking on the responsibilities of day-to-day customer relations. He will also assist in managing the wine orders and shipping. He continues his previous job of being a full-time househusband and writing screenplays in his spare time, several of which have won awards at film festivals.
It is wonderful having partner, Bryan Henry, back from Germany. Bryan is back on track with the local community as a favorite OB/GYN. He rejoined partners Cheryl Henry (Ric's wife) and Dario Gambetta and opened a new office in Napa. Bryan has also taken on administrative duties at St. Helena Hospital, where he will be serving as Chief of the Medical Staff. For fun, Bryan has been bustling around the Napa Valley on his new (50th birthday present) "Honda Shadow" touring motorcycle.
Our winemaker, Michael Trujillo, is busier than ever. Making the wine for Karl Lawrence Cellars, as well as Sequoia Grove Winery, definitely keeps him out of trouble. Michael looks forward to traveling and supporting many of the Karl Lawrence markets. Keep your ears open, as he may be around your area for a winemaker dinner sometime.
A few notes from
KARL LAWRENCE CELLARS
Always a special thank you in appreciation to Gary Morisoli along with Herb and Jennifer Lamb for supplying Karl Lawrence with wonderful and outstanding grapes year after year.
*1997 Vineyard Designated Reserve Cabernets--The rumor is true. For the first time ever, Karl Lawrence will introduce two vineyard designated 1997 Reserve Cabernets. We plan to release this wine in the Fall of 2000. We'll keep you posted.
*The 1998 vintage is aging quietly in the barrels. This vintage is developing with many similarities of the 1996 vintage.
*The 1999 vintage is showing to be one of the top vintages of the decade. Nothing but "Great."
*A special thank you to RT, (Michael's father) the man behind the beautiful waxed seals on the Karl Lawrence large bottles.
While dining in the Napa Valley area or the San Francisco Bay area, you will find Karl Lawrence Cabernet in the wine list of many of the local restaurants.
