Karl Lawrence Cellars

2009 Vintage Release

2012-03-01T10:52:00.002-08:00

Yesterday, we released the the 2009 vintage, our first "all-electronic" release. It was a bruising day with many trials and tribulations. However, we had a terrific response and we'd like to thank everybody who rushed to get their orders in and helped us put our new website and ordering system through the paces. Remember that shipping commences on Friday the 9th, with the southern hot spots going out first.

So thank you guys. We couldn't do any of this without you.

The Wynns Return

2012-02-24T10:38:00.003-08:00

Greetings all!

The Wynns recently contacted us and announced that they've finished their video from their Napa Valley trip. We'll let the video speak for itself, but with our cameo on House Hunters RV and now an endorsement from the Wynns, we can't help but feel as if we're skyrocketing toward stardom.

Here 'tis:

In other news, you guys should expect to receive the 2009 vintage Offering Letter next week via email.

Also, if you haven't checked out their story yet, do it: gonewiththewynns.com.

Yes, more cycling

2012-02-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

Here's the Karl Lawrence Cycling Team during our 4th annual Tour of Napa Valley. Yes, the rumors you've heard are most definitely true: the team's looking to expand and anyone is welcome to join us next August. You can choose routes of 30, 60, or 100 miles, and with the "Pasta Pig Out" in Ric's back yard the night before, you'll be sure to have the energy to finish whichever circle you choose.

Also, for another great "ride with Ric," consider coming to California on May 18 for the PCH ride from Carmel to San Simeon. It's 93 miles of shear beauty and excellent camaraderie. If you're interested, email ric@karllawrence.com for details.

Photo by Kerry Chambers.

Missourians Know Their Wine

2012-02-10T15:25:00.000-08:00

Glen Johnson's from Kirkwood, Missouri and brought an entire Midwestern gang out to see us in Napa Valley. Both Glen and his wife, Debbie, are cyclists and were pretty jazzed to get a hold of KL cycle jersey.

Not only do they fit in with us from a cycling perspective, but let's just say they've been down with our wine since day one. They've been with us since the '94 vintage, which means they're only missing three years. They've collected so much of our wine that "The Karl Lawrence Corner" is the official title of a corner in their cellar.

Well, it feels pretty great to have a corner have named after us. Thanks, Glen and Debbie. See you next trip.

Soroptimist Crab Feed

2012-02-07T17:34:00.000-08:00

Karl Lawrence has had a long running relationship with the St. Helena Soroptimist Club and its annual "Crab Feed." We're there every year because so many of our friends are loyal attendees... and the fact that it's long been known as the best party in town. Northern California rockers, Twice as Good, have kept the dance floor jumping for the last few years, and really know how set the mood for St. Helena's best seafood feast and charity auction.

Four years ago, Bob and Stacey Bressler set the all time highest bid at $6,200, for a Karl Lawrence party (which was, needless to say, most excellent). As this may be the last year that the combined Soroptimist Clubs host the Crab Feed, Karl Lawrence went all out.

So, this past saturday, long time friend and Karl Lawrence customer, Rodney Friedrich, purchased the Karl Lawrence lot of a nineteen bottle vertical of every vintage we've made, from 1991 to 2009. The lot also included a five year vertical of mags from 2001 to 2005.

All smiles, Rodney strikes a true collector's pose.

Karl Lawrence and the St. Helena Soroptimist have had many good times over the years. We're so sorry to see this good thing come to an end. We trust that what follows will be equally as fun.

You can know, that whatever it is, we'll be there.

Sold Out!

2012-02-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true... We've sold out of the Beckstoffer-Dr. Crane Reserves. But not to worry, you can still keep it flowing. We have a few bottles of Beckstoffer-To Kalon left. So you better hurry.

Also, the Gary Morisoli and Herb Lamb reserves are still available in two-packs.

You can order these online or e-mail ric@karllawrence.com.

The Blues, and a Birthday in Burbank

2012-01-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

Inger, Albert Lee, and Ric break it down in The Icehouse.

In Burbank, Ric celebrated long time KL customer and Blues Cruise buddy, Dr. Inger Jensen's birthday, while dancing to the tunes of legendary English guitarist, Albert Lee.

Most of the partiers hailed from the tinsel-town area and some claimed to be familiar with Karl Lawrence. Rumor has it that our cabernet might have a cameo in a Hollywood flick in the future. We'll keep you updated.

New Years Ride

2012-01-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

Long time KL customer, buddy, and college roommate (at colleges in the Napa Valley, England, and Beirut), Dave Jamieson and Ric prepared for the New Year's Eve party by riding through San Francisco's Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Ocean Boulevard, and Crissy Field.

Happy 2012!

KL Worldwide

2011-12-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

China seems to be in the news every time you look, but who knew they were such wine fanatics? Meet Mr. Jianwen Zhao (in the yellow jacket), Mr. Jack Lee (far right), and Mr. Zhang (far left) with Jefferson and longtime Karl Lawrence customer and friend, Powell Yang.

In China, Mr. Zhao is the owner of Dong Zhou Fu Long World Wines. He's famous for showcasing more than 1000 world wines, specializing in Bordeaux. You can check out his portfolio in one of his many tasting rooms or in his quarterly magazine, Wine and Life.

Here's his tasting room in Qingdao, the same city famous for brewing "Tsingtao." We're sure you're all already familiar with the beer, so now you can be familiar with the correct spelling.

Mr. Zhao and his crew left Napa Valley with more than a pallet of Karl Lawrence. So next time any of you guys are in China, make sure to go check him out.

Walker Ryan's Professional Debut

2011-11-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

Walker with hype girls on the red carpet in SF.

Seeing as Karl Lawrence is probably the only winery in the valley to offer sponsorship to skateboarders, we would love to congratulate our close friend and St. Helena native, Walker Ryan, on his recently crowned status as a "Professional Skateboarder" for Organika Skateboards.

Although a career in skateboarding seems completely removed from the stereotypical Napa Valley lifestyle and anything winemaking, Walker chose to showcase his roots, even as a skateboarder. Here are his first professional board graphics:

If you come by the office, you'll see one of these hanging on the wall.

As if the bottle, glass, and grapes weren't enough, he even gives a shout-out to St. Helena and Napa Valley on the bottle. The Organika crew then went even bigger by actually making a couple dozen cases of the pictured wine and selling it at Walker's red carpet party in San Francisco.

A packed house at the Mezzanine. Ric and Cheryl were getting down in there somewhere.

Rumor has it, Walker had Karl Lawrence in mind for his signature wine, but given that Ric was in Ireland, they weren't able to hook up. So Walker called up his buddy Carlo Trinchero at Taken wines, and they did an awesome job. We suppose that makes them the second winery to sponsor skateboarding.

Check out Walker's blend of amazing skateboarding and beautiful shots of the Napa Valley in his pro-debut video part:

Check out Organika, here: www.organikaskateboards.com

And Taken Wine Co.: www.takenwine.com

A Harvest Blurb

2011-10-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

Greetings, Karl Lawrence Nation!

First of all, we'd like to thank all of you for your wonderful response to our 2007 release. We plan on sending out orders on Monday the 24th (weather permitting, of course). And while it's currently just our initial limited release, the majority of our list will be getting an e-mail offer sometime next week.

Also, we have finally updated our website. Yes, it's true. Although Mike, Bryan, and Ric are in a state of cyber denial, we've come to believe that our website hasn't changed since around the time the Internet first came on the scene. So go check it out: karllawrence.com. The blog is linked on there as well.

In other news... while most of us (most of the Valley, in fact) have been neck-deep in this year's extremely late-harvested grapes, Ric has been off roaming the countryside of his native land. For the big six zero, Ric and Cheryl ventured to Ireland for two weeks. Ric had been there once before for just about twenty-four hours.... thirty-eight years ago.

Ric throws a cheers at Temple Bar, Dublin.

Although the two of them had a marvelous time singing along to traditional Irish pub songs and drinking dark beer (although the picture shows otherwise), the wine was, well, ... sub par. Luckily Ric had a few bottles of Aldin stashed in his golf bag.

So when you guys head across the pond, we suggest you do the same.

Our Wine and the Dutch

2011-10-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

Jo (pronounced Yo... as in "Yo, Jo!") and Ineke Van Liempt visited us from the Netherlands and had a swell time:

Here, Ineke and Jo put their game faces on with Nelson Larios (middle). The Dutch soccer fanatics were quite thrilled to discover Nelson's past as a proffesional futbóler in El Salvador.

The Van Liempts came all the way to California for a true Napa Valley experience. So we gave them a bunch of Karl Lawrence to drink and took them to our friends over at Clif Family farm (where they met the farm assistant, Nelson). They happened to be throwing an excellent harvest party. We even got a video to prove it:

In other news:

The Karl Lawrence Buick got a wash by Mrs. Miller's (Nicholas' old principal at PUC Elementary) fifth grade class:

And, according to Holly Mason, KL and Clif Family Winery's The Climber, can share a table:

Oh yeah. And... Ric turned 60. Yep. 60.

Check out the Clif crew: www.cliffamilywinery.com

Staglin Music Festival

2011-09-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

This upcoming weekend is the Staglin Music Festival for Mental Health. It's a weekend we here at Karl Lawrence look forward to every year.

If any of you should happen to attend, Ric and Cheryl will be there pouring you some splendid wine. And while we already know we're up there in your wine power rankings, you can compare our juice to about 75 other great wines from around the Valley.

All of the excellent food, wine, and company will then shine even brighter with the array of musical and celebrity goodness: Scientific Symposium, Dionne Warwick, Congressman Patrick Kennedy and the one, the only, Glenn Close. Ric has been a fan of Dionne Warwick since high school and cries every time he catches a Glenn Close flick.

So come on down, relax, and support a great cause. For more information, and to see the numbers this event has raised in it's seventeen years of existence, click here. And then check out Staglin's whole story at www.staglinfamily.com.

And since we haven't had a blog update in a month, here's a very small peek at what we've been doing/who we've been entertaining in the office:

This here is Mike and Cheryl Strenge, with Jefferson, from Toronto. They're laying up a bunch of Karl Lawrence at 55 degrees for their month long stay in Saint Helena next year. Way to plan ahead.

So... when are you going to come see us?

The Wynns from their Perspective

2011-08-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

These will lack captions, but here are a slew of shots from Jason's camera. Needless to say, they are a much finer quality and much more artistic than those our own staff photographer shot. Enjoy.

Thanks, Jason!

And, in case you missed it some how, get the full story of the Wynns in the post below.

Karl Lawrence has Gone with the Wynns

2011-08-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard of them, the Wynns are a newlywed couple in the middle of a two-year RV road trip across the country. They travel from state to state in search of anything and everything fantastic and broadcast it to the world via blogs, videos, tweets, and the like.

While these fantastic endeavors range from music festivals to ski resorts to coffee shops, the Wynns got in touch with Karl Lawrence and decided to come on over to the Valley. They parked their RV up on the Henry Brothers' Ranch.

We're sure their own chronicling of their adventure in wine country will be much more epic than our little cell phone pictures, but just to give you a taste, here's a few snapshots of their time with us in Saint Helena:

Here the famous couple, Jason and Nikki, get their first, or second, taste of Napa Valley.

Here's the bigger gang at the KL office. Left to right, back row: Doug Gallagher of Soñador Winery, Jacob Wynn, Lorri and Mitch Hirsch, and Cara and Ken Arnold. Jason and Nikki are in front.

Note: Jacob Wynn was just visiting the Valley, but will study film at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington on a soccer scholarship, in the fall. The Hirschs and Arnolds are from Parkland, Florida and made it to the KL office via recomendation from Mike and Alison De Young.

Here the Wynns sample some barrels at Staglin with Ryan, the enologist, and our own Chris Pratt, the assistant winemaker.

Well, Wynns, to put it simply, we envy your epic journey. But we hope you had a good time with the Karl Lawrence crew, and can't wait to see where your RV takes you next.

Watch the Karl Lawrence and HBR RV episodes and keep updated with the Wynns across the country, here: http://www.gonewiththewynns.net/

Anniversaries and Centurions

2011-07-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

Eric and Charlotte Rayburn of Wilmington, North Carolina have been with us since 2003. One year later they got married. A couple years after the vows were exchanged, they ordered a case of the '04 vintage. Since then, they've made it a tradition to open one bottle of '04 a year, on their anniversary day.

On their most recent visit to Saint Helena (documented above), the couple talked of how concerned they were of their sacred case's imminent depletion.

The solution was quite simple, really. They stopped by the office, talked to Ric, and added an '04 mag to their order for this year.

Next to them above are their good friends, Todd and Catherine Oomens from Hilton Head Island. Todd's a fellow cyclist who recently rode the Assault on Mount Mitchell: the highest mountain east of the Mississippi, with over 11,000 feet of vertical climb.

And, while we're on the subject of cycling, The Karl Lawrence cycle team for the 100 mile Tour of Napa Valley is now finalized: Joining Ric for the fourth year in a row are Dave Jamieson and Chris Pratt. Third year veterans include Bob Fores and Mark Jensen. Bob's wife, Cindy, will ride with us for the second time. And we're welcoming the tandeming newcomers, Rod and Sheri Hooper (they've been warned that no marriage counseling will be provided during the Tour).

Son-in-Law Chris Pratt sports the epic beard, while both him and Ric rock last year's jerseys.

This year the Karl Lawrence Cycle Team have dubbed themselves The Centurions, as in, we're riding a century. Our motto is: "Miles millia et antecederent bibam Karl Lawrence Cabernet." For those of you who have forgotten your high school Latin, that roughly translates to: "Miles and miles to go before I drink Karl Lawrence Cabernet."

Here's the Centurion logo that will be on the back of our jerseys:

The reference to no stinkin' metric is that a metric century is shorter than a mile century.

While this wasn't quite a century ride, Mount Tamalpais was tough... and a great reason to break out the KL jerseys, once again.

Savour St. Helena

2011-07-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Just fifty paces from the front door of the KL office, Meghan Farley and Dejan Nikitovic pose outside of Savour St. Helena: a new local wine cooperative and tasting room. Here, your pallate can peruse the juices of six small-production wineries.

One of their winemakers is Craig Handley. At Savour, he pours from both his Terroir and Houdini labels.

While Craig's wines are most excellent, we at Karl Lawrence believe him to be most famous for designing the Karl Lawrence and Aldin labels.

So thanks, Craig. We wouldn't be the same without you.

Just a tad blurry thanks to Ric's photography skills, Craig and his wife, Susan, in the Savour tasting room. One of Craig's grape sources comes from Susan's family vineyards at the Carpenter Ranch in Saint Helena.

Get the whole story of Craig's wines:

http://www.houdiniwines.com/

http://www.terroirnv.com/

For more info about Savour St. Helena, contact Meghan at meghan@savoursthelena.com

A Recommendation

2011-07-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

The other night, Cheryl and Ric ate with Kevin and Katy Holt of Houston at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen. Ric brought a bottle of Karl Lawrence 2002 Herb Lamb Single Vineyard Designated Reserve for the party to enjoy with dinner.

While the title is more than a mouthful to say,the wine will not disappoint your taste buds. In fact, on that fateful night, it was quite a hit.

Even Ric himself can be quoted with saying, "It had to be one of the best wines I've ever drank. Now I have to search around to see if I have any more."

So if any of you happen to have one of these bad boys lying neglected in your cellar, the time is now. Go on down there and pop it open. If an insider going to give himself that much credit, it's got to be good.

The men behind the bottle concur, the 2002 Herb Lamb is genius.

Cheers, St. Helena!

2011-07-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, St. Helena dedicates the first friday of every month (for the first six months of summer) to throwing a gigantic block party with music, food, and tons of wine. It's free to roam, but you can buy a wristband and plastic glass which grants you access to taste dozens of local wines.

However, we'd advise you to skip the tastings (as you end up standing in lines to just get enough to wet your tongue). What we and most locals do is bring our own and relax at one of the music spots.

Here's Cheryl with Mike Nieman of Nieman Auto listening to a local band, 707:

It's the only place int the upper valley to rent Harley's.

Here are Cheryl and Ric partying on Adams street, while Wristrocket wails:

The guitarist on the far left is Jeff Smith, band leader and owner of Hourglass Winery.

So, you folks should head over to Main Street Saint Helena on the first friday of the summer months to devour some good eats, drink some great wine, and get down to some funky jams.

And, don't forget the best part: you can walk downtown with an open container and not get arrested!

For Harley's and Hourglass:

http://www.niemansmotorcyclerentals.com/

http://www.hourglasswines.com/

Another Wine Romance

2011-07-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

Jon Quinley of Suisun is a surgical technician, comrade of Cheryl's at Kaiser, hardcore Raider fan, and a Napa Valley Cabernet lover. This past weekend, him and his wife, Kathy, journeyed to Little River, just south of Mendocino to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary:

Jon had been saving a bottle of Karl Lawrence for the evening, and when we asked him how it was, he exclaimed, "I can't say that we have ever enjoyed a wine as we did that evening."

He then told us that he let the restaurant's wine purchaser try it. She loved it, naturally, so Jon let her keep the empty bottle in case she wanted to call up Ric and buy a few cases.

So, Jon, thanks for telling us your story and spreading the word. Congratulations on the 40 years.

Also, the Road South charity event at Vineland Station is coming up (the previous post) and it's free! So don't forget to go and get down to some funky tunes.

Love and life go on, let the music play...

2011-06-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Well folks, sometimes the will to rock never dies. Monte Moses and his band, Road South, formed in college in the early '70s. They headlined most of their gigs at bars around Napa, when the valley looked like one giant farm.

Eventually, careers and families took hold of Monte and the gang, and, like most rock 'n' roll bands, the flame burned out. But not forever...

The band has recently restrung their axes and sharpened their sticks to rise out of the ashes. And on Saturday July 9, Road South will be kicking out the jams at Vineland Station, where, as you can see below, the proceeds will benefit the Furaha Community Center of Nairobi, Kenya.

Check out the flier:

Where Karl Lawrence comes in:

Ric, who used to be a killer saxophonist, played in a slew of jazz combos with his old pal Monte from the 7th through the 11th grades.

Will Ric get up there and wail with Road South on the sax?

Most likely not.

But... he will be there pouring all of you some Karl Lawrence.

So head down to Vineland Station on July 9, drink some good wine, and shake it.

For more on the event and the cause, click here.

BBQ

2011-06-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the break, folks. It has been a busy June so far. And by busy, we mean we've been doing stuff like this:

Here we have Scott Urie (middle left) hosting his annual BBQ at the KL office (and that's the famous Dr. Crane Vineyard in the background). To left of him is Carissa Stavrakos of Long Island. She's enjoying her last wine drinking for awhile until she does a triathalon on Long Island. Then we have Jarred, who just moved from Petaluma to Montana, and then KL's winemaker in the flesh, Michael Trujillo.

A slew of people are not pictured, and happened to be having the time of their lives behind the camera.

Scott loves bbq-ing for the KL crew so much, we've lined up a couple more parties for the rest of the summer. The next is in just a couple days up at the Henry Brother's Ranch.

So if any of y'all make it out to the Napa Valley, you might get lucky enough to catch Scott grilling up a storm with the KL crowd.

See you there?

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-28T12:50:00.001-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend is a weekend of epic proportions in the Napa Valley. And these folks are taking advantage of it:

Grant Burch and Judy Trafas started Memorial Day Weekend off right with a 9 am tasting at the KL office.

Now the rest of you should do the same.

Look Out East Coast...

2011-05-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

We're coming for you. This summer, UPS is offering temperature controlled ground shipping for only $8 more. This is how it works: once a week, an air-conditioned train will leave California and head cross-country to one of four east coast hubs, meaning each destination will haul in one train per month. Then, from one of those eastern hubs, the wine will be sent using regular ground service. The result is 2DayAir service for the price of ground + $8. So all of you easterners won't have to wait until November to get your wine. Pretty. Dang. Cool.

So pick up those phones and call up ol' Jefferson to tell him how happy you are to get your wine a few months earlier. Isn't he cute?

Jefferson. Circa 1977.

Steak and Wine

2011-05-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Despite our status as a rather "underground" label, we're getting our name out there. Thanks to Marlene Rossman with Chef Magazine* Online, the culinary world now knows that Karl Lawrence Cab goes great with steak salad. Splendid, in fact. Peep the recipe and ponder whipping it up yourself, here (scroll to page 14 and click once to enlarge).

We also made the print edition of Chef. So find a copy of the mag, cut out that recipe, put it on your fridge, and impress your husband/wife/grandmother/neighbor (etc.) with some exquisite steak salad and Karl Lawrence Cab.

Also, while doing research, we stumbled upon another KL shout out in the online food community. This one via "The Brad's Adventures in Food Blog," where Karl Lawrence was paired with grilled Moroccan Flank Steak and Panzanella Salad at Fine Wine Auction & Celebrity Chef Dinner in Dallas (a benefit for the American Heart Association). While we were unaware of Brad and his blog, Michael was there, pouring, and had a fantastic time (KL has been featured at this event for the last four years).

Wine display at Fine Wine Auction & Celebrity Chef Dinner in Dallas, TX.

And just because most of you are not "celebrity chefs," doesn't mean you can't cook a mean flank steak yourself.

There are a bunch of KL friends and their wines featured in both of these publications, so please, check them out.

http://www.chefmagazine.com/

http://www.thebradsblog.com/food/

On a different note, for all you twitter-ers out there, follow us @KLCellars! We are still novices with this flowering celeb-drama hub, but we figured we'd give it a shot and would love to annoy you with our "tweets." But, keep in mind, we're a mellow bunch who want to talk wine. We're not the Kardashians.

Grilled Moroccan Flank Steak with Panzanella Salad. Try it with some KL Cab.

Growing Up

2011-05-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

Aside from a graduation, Karl Lawrence has an even more exciting breaking news story: Zoey lost her first tooth! (and another one since this picture was taken):

The note is a little hard to see, but it chronicles the extraordinary event in typical Ric Henry fashion. See, when Zoey told her Grandpa that her tooth was loose, old Ric didn't even hesitate to tie a piece of dental floss around it, tie it to a door knob, and slam that sucker.

Yep, we thought it was only a myth, but apparently Ric believed otherwise.

But Zoey was quite pleased with the results and wasn't phased by the pain. So, luckily, we didn't have to give her a thimble filled with some '06 Cab.

¡Kongradulashons!

2011-05-10T18:24:00.000-07:00

So the youngest Henry (other than the slew of babies that have came on the scene in the last few years) has graduated college. And to celebrate, Ric, Cheryl, and the gang, trekked east (via planes, trains, and automobiles) to party with Nicholas and the Boulder crew. The following carnage ensued:

We listened to a Chipotle Advertisement (graduation speech) in the sun:

And Cheryl let Ric know that he was missing the "throwing of hats!":

But it ended up working out fine:

Nic and Ric at Folsom Field.

Nic and his roommate, Jakey Craney, at the major specific ceremony.

We met dogs with our same name!:

Human Zoey holds dog Zoey and is pretty stoked.

We stopped by places of past employment, and were excited about it:

And we finally found out what the Temporary Chill Zone was all about:

We stacked rocks in criks!:

(or "creeks" if you're not Ric Henry)

We closed our eyes at the Sundown Saloon!:

(not pictured: Christopher Pratt and the 10 empty pitchers of Pabst Blue Ribbon around him):

We bowled with the famous G-Ma:

Mabel Miyasaki (Angie's Grandma) orders a small pair of shoes.

And gets it done.

And ate tons of good food courtesy of the rest of the Goldens:

The women of Angie's fam, fabulous hosts: Gma, Meri, Gwendy, and Tammy

We stood on roofs:

TCZ

The entire crew of graduating graduates.

And, in the end, it was a good time...

The whole visiting fam outside of Folsom.

Photo cred:

Cool ones: Angie

Just sort of regular ones: Ric and Cheryl

Drink the '90s away!

2011-04-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

Meet John Caruana and Denny Anderson, folks. A couple of weeks ago, up from Mill Valley and Novato, these two brought a party of their own to the KL office.

Denny, a Karl Lawrence affiliate since '95, showed up with a vertical of the '95 to '98 and the '04-'08. Seeing how this is quite a bit of wine, even for us, the tasting party lasted a good five hours.

After all was said and done, the consensus was this: 1. While all of the wines were good, they seemed a little past their prime. 2. One person loved the '95 for the first hour, but didn't like it a little later. 3. The '98 was the "most powerful of the bunch."

So, in the end, our tasting panel's unanimous decision is to drink your KL from last century, now. Quit saving it for that special occasion. Take your corkscrew on down to that cellar of yours, pop open a few bottles of Karl Lawrence cab, and drink the '90s away.

That special occasion is now.

Take it from John and Denny, ladies and gentlemen, and have a wine party of your own.

Más Amor

2011-04-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

The last love story was such a hit, we decided to keep 'em coming. So without further adieu...

Mike DeYoung, Joey and Tika Gelsino, Allison DeYong, and Cheryl at Redd's in Yountville.

Disregard your first impressions. This is not some crazy account of five swingers who drank too much Karl Lawrence. Rather, here we have a romantic tale of a young couple who have just embarked on their life journey together.

The DeYoungs venture west from Miami often and have become KL regulars. And while, in the picture of above, the two of them look normal as always, we came to find out that, when this picture was taken, Allison was 31 weeks pregnant to the day!

We understand that the great news of a baby coming probably outshines the specifics of this information. One might not pay attention to fact that, 31 weeks prior to this photo, this baby was conceived. By now, we're sure you're assuming, Oh yeah, Miami, palm trees, candles, full moon, cloudless night, yadda yadda yadda.

Well, folks, we here at Karl Lawrence would like to tell you otherwise. And we even got the picture to prove it. Here is a photo taken from the DeYoung's previous visit to the Napa Valley... 31 weeks prior to the photo above.

To. The. Day.:

Mike and Allison at Bottega in Yountville.

Well, needless to say, we'll let y'all figure it out from there. But both Mike and Allison gave us testimonials giving Karl Lawrence the credit of making their magic happen. That is to say that one more DeYoung is on its way thanks to great company and Karl Lawrence wines.

Congrats, guys!

Keeping Ourselves Busy

2011-04-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

Again, pardon the lack of posts, folks, but we assure you we've been working hard in our absence from the blog. We've been catching up on things like...

Golfing!

Nicholas, Cheryl, and Cheryl's mom, Betty, on spring break in San Diego.

...Going to concerts!

Ric with Danielle of traveling family blues band, Trampled Under Foot. Based out of the blues-capital Kansas City, Ric and Cheryl saw both of TUF's first shows ever played west of Colorado. Biscuits and Blues.

Nick, brother of Danielle, shows the audience how to Jimi.

... The work here has been so tough, we've even managed to...

"Enjoy" ourselves at Disney Land.

Indi, Zoey, and Betty in the Tea Cups, finally winding up a long day.

...And... Get our Tahoe on.

Jeff and Matthew snowboard while Ric drinks beers in the hot tub (below).

Well I think that finally sums up our break. But don't worry, we've finally got partying out of our systems and are back to tell you guys of everything Karl Lawrence. Stay tuned in the next couple days, for round two (or three?) of Karl Lawrence's side effects of love.

2nd Place

2011-03-16T12:01:00.001-07:00

Pardon the hiatus folks, but we have been lamenting in defeat... Despite the fact that Karl Lawrence usually finishes in first place, we're sad to inform you that the KL team, The Flaming 8 Ball Jackets made it to the championship, only to lose.

The entirety of the Jackets shortly after their win to put them in the championship.

Right to Left: Drew "The Rainmaker" Sager, Jake "Cherry Eyes" Craney, Worthington Worthington, Dr. Tan Legs, Crashtian "The Flying Alaskan" Lendé, Nate Dogg Kinney, and Matthew Von Baron Meyer (famous CU Football Buffs special teamer)

But they made an epic run to the championship. In one game, they were down 10 points with 1:05 left in the game, played some killer defense, hit a few 3-pointers, and came out up by 2. In the next game, they came back to win from a 12 point deficit, not scoring for the first 11 minutes of the game.

But, despite the momentum train rolling, they lost in the championship game to MIT by 7 points. MIT appeared to be made up mostly of international students, studying abroad at CU. At least the Jackets were able to give them some good memories of America.

The Sad Alaskan after the defeat.

You might be asking: "So how is this relevant to Karl Lawrence?"

Easy. After the wins, The Jackets drank a lot of Karl Lawrence... After the loss, they drank a lot of Karl Lawrence.

Bad. News. Bears. But not to worry! The Jackets are enrolled for another round and we'll keep you posted as the new season progresses.

Stay tuned, for further KL news and Trampled Under Foot! And if you're sick of reading about intramural basketball, we would rather hear your stories! So, again, e-mail 'em to us at ric@karllawrence.com.

Dr. Tan Legs most likely missing the jumper.

The Karl Lawrence Blues

2011-02-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

We here at Karl Lawrence have established ourselves as one of the most popular and most frequently enjoyed wines on the blues music circuit. We've partied our way through concerts, festivals, and cruises getting our name out there by way of t-shirts, baseball caps, and word of mouth. However, for some reason, KL has never meddled in advertising (in the traditional sense of the word). But, it turns out that, Robert Jr. Whitall, the Publisher and Editor in Chief of Big City Rhythm and Blues Magazine (and Karl Lawrence fanatic) wanted us to do an ad for the mag. So we got together with our graphic artist, Brian Nash, and this is what we came up with:

Well we think the results are pretty superb. We are proud to be involved in a great magazine and want to thank Brian for styling our ad accordingly. Most excellent.

Check out the blues mag and Brian Nash here: www.bigcitybluesmag.com, www.bndco.com.

In other news, The Flaming 8-Ball Jackets (who after the coach's poll were actually the number 3 seed) rolled past their first opponent by a mercy-ruled score of 69-29 (their opponent, The Leonards only showed up with 4 players...). Although it was slightly uneventful and disappointing, considering the lack of competition, the Jackets hope to meet some tough competitors next week on the road to the finals.

Undefeated

2011-02-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

I know it's only been a day, and you guys are most likely exhausted from reading the epic Karl Lawrence love ballad of Seo and Yesi, but get ready for customer "story" numero dos:

Howard Chin (above) recently held an '01 cabernet restrospective tasting. And as you probably could guess from the picture, Karl Lawrence's Herb Lamb reserve was the overwhelming favorite of the day.

Now this wouldn't be surprising if the competitors were, say, Two Buck Chuck, Franzia box wine, or Carlo Rossi. But Howard thought the line-up was pretty strong (and so did we): Bryant Family, Pride Reserve, (our) Reserve Morisoli, Sloan, Mondavi Res, Montelena, LaJota 20th Anniv, Bond St. Eden, Leonetti Res, Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer, etc. etc.

So we encourage all of you to make some tasting brackets, like our wine the best, and then tell us about it. Then you can get your picture on here too! Thanks for the story, Howard!

Speaking of winners and brackets, in other news, Nicholas's intramural basketball team, The Flaming 8-Ball Jackets, just finished an undefeated regular season and are moving into the playoffs Monday as the number one seed. We'll keep you posted on the Jackets' trip to the championship.

We got to tell you, Seo... you did it like a pro.

2011-02-16T09:18:00.000-08:00

Matt and Tessa's wedding at HBR in the summer of 2009

As you can see in the picture above, Karl Lawrence and the Henry Brothers' Ranch family are no stranger to romance. With that in mind, what better way is there to pop the question than a trip up to Napa Valley in the early spring and a day wine tasting with your honey and the always stunning Jon Jones?

Jon Jones.

Well, we sure can't think of doing it any better, so this brings us to our first (more or less) KL customer story!

So on Friday, February 11, 2011, KL fan Seo Salimi planned the perfect day to propose to his now-fianceé Yesi. They began with a tasting at Siduri in Sonoma at then trekked the 45 minute romance-inspiring drive to Angwin to get the love flowin'. There, they met up with the Love Doctor himself: Mr. Jon Jones. They headed up to Henry Brothers' Ranch to enjoy a couple hours of boccee and the '08. By this point, it was obvious to Seo that he had it in the bag. So they bid adieu to Jon, headed to San Francisco, and the rest is history.

Now, while the actual ring-giving didn't happen in the presence of KL family, we can't help but think (or hope) that our wine, our scenery, and our company played a big role in this day of epic love. But, in all seriousness, we would like to thank Seo and Yesi for including us in their day they will never forget. Congratulations to you both!

Jon Jones and Team KL-Salimi at HBR.

Well, folks, we have at least one more KL story in the works, but we would love to have as many as possible. It might be hard to equalize this one here, but it deserves to be put to the test.

Heat

2011-02-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

St. Helena hit the 80 degree mark three days in row: a sling of the highest February temperatures in 25 years. It was so warm in fact that Ric ended up spending the whole time painting his white picket fence. Oh, America... He couldn't do the Tom Sawyer trick by telling Nicholas how much fun it was, as he's off at college.

And for the business side of the heat wave, the Karl Lawrence 2008 Release Offering Letter is going out this week to all the customers living in the cooler areas. Production is lower this year, so we'll have to stick a little closer to the allocation numbers.

Also, a few customers have said they couldn't fax in, so here's our secondary fax line: (866) 874-5369.

Keep in touch with the blog as some stories a little more interesting than the weather are hitting soon. And if any of y'all have any epic Karl Lawrence tales (of course you do!), email us with your story and a pic at ric@karllawrence.com.

A repeat of Ann Ryan's pic of her Bowman Lake experience made better with a glass of Karl Lawrence.

Slim and Spring

2011-02-03T12:15:00.000-08:00

Spring is busting out all over here in the Napa Valley. Ric's first azalea blossomed the other day, even before his daffodils. Growers are worried that this warm weather will cause bud break too early. After record rain falls, we're now in our 19th day of drought, blue skies, and record breaking temperatures. As Ric rode his bike down the Silverado Trail, it was almost 80 degrees. He would have rode longer, but had to hurry home and prune as he is weeks behind.

The Offering Letters for the 2008 release are going out as we speak to those of you who live in the warmer areas. Michael calls this vintage "plush and lush." Please note that this is our smallest release since the last century (1999). In striving to be fair, requests for more wine over your allocations will have to be held until everybody has had a chance to order.

Langhorne Slim at the Fillmore. Photo courtesy of Ric's phone.

In other news, good family friend and KL affiliate, Langhorne Slim (above), opened for the Old 97's at the ever historic Fillmore in San Francisco. And although Ric and Cheryl were not able to party on the Rythm and Blues Cruise (which just set sail from Ft. Lauderdale) for the first time in seven years, they kept the blues alive by caravaning to the city to see Langhorne wail on the same stage that Janis, Jefferson Airplane, and The Dead made famous.

Langhorne's lover and long time Henry child Jessi Friedrich with Cheryl, Langhorne, and Melissa in SF.

Check out Slim's tunes here: http://www.langhorneslim.com/

More than Wine

2011-01-13T12:16:00.000-08:00

Well it seems like this blog has ended up being more of a bay area sports chronicling rather than wine publication. So, to keep the tradition going, we want to ask if any of you watched Oregon and Auburn in the BCS National Championship game on Monday night? If so, you might have seen this guy, John Boyett:

He's starting safety for the Ducks and a graduate of Napa High School. His dad was also Nicholas's Drivers Ed. and P.E. teacher at Saint Helena High. Although we were bummed at the Ducks loss (as many St. Helena juveniles attend school up in Eugene), we wanted to let you know about this Napa Valley native's success at the next level, and show you that we're capable of producing much more than just fine wine.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

Hello, folks! Pardon the hiatus.

In recent news, Ric and Cheryl celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary on December 27 by going out to dinner at Terra's. Ric ordered the lobster in garlic butter and Cheryl ordered the pumpkin soup, so they didn't need their 2002 KL cab that had brought. They overheard the couple at the table next to them tell the waiter that they had just gotten engaged that day. So Ric and Cheryl gave them their bottle of cab and told them that now they'll always remember the day they got engaged as it was on our anniversary.

Also, to start the year off right, Ric's neighbor 's second son was the first birth of the new year. Bryan was the attending physician. The baby, Teddy Rex Blum, was born at 6:18 P.M. on 1/1/11. Teddy's dad, Todd, runs the tasting room at Merryvale Winery.

In other wine news: The 2007 750's are sold out, but still available in all other sizes. The 2006 wine that the restaurants didn't take is still available at $39/750ml. The 2008 will be released within the next month or two.

Walk-in Tastings!

2010-11-08T17:24:00.000-08:00

Don't forget about our walk-in tasting hours! If you're bored on a weekend, and happen to be roaming around Saint Helena, stop by the office between 2 and 6 pm and have a glass or two. Our office is located behind Azteca Market at 639 Main Street. So come on by. We'd love to have you.

And without further ado, here's Ric and Cheryl with Dave and Ginge Jamieson at the sold-out Raider Victory on Sunday:

Fall Classic: Ric's Baseball Fashion Fiasco

2010-11-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

Baseball has been in the Henry Clan's bloodline since day one of our days in this great country. Weiland Henry, Bryan and Ric's dad, was considered Northern California's best pitcher in 1939 and scouted by the New York Yankees to play professional ball. However, Weiland chose to stray from his baseball spirit in exchange for another calling: instead, he became a preacher.

However, baseball and the San Francisco Giants still played a huge role in the Henry household regardless of Papa Henry's career choice.

So, to watch the Giants finally overcome fifty-six years of disappointment, and bring their first title to San Francisco, Ric traveled with Ann Ryan and Brian Nash to the Hi-Dive Bar, underneath the Bay Bridge:

Although Ric was nearly brought to tears by his team's victory, he still had to defend himself from being accused a "bandwagon fan."

See, despite Ric's desperate search for his two (very authentic mind you) Giants' jerseys, it only took a couple of minutes to realize that Nicholas had commandeered both of his jerseys to support his team in Colorado.

Jersey #1 enjoying some late night cheese fries at "Smelly Deli" in Boulder, CO.

Jersey #2 (and #3 considering Angie's Hawaiian Giants extravaganza) back home for a regular season game in 2009.

Nicholas later brought it back to CO.

To cope with this dilemma, Ric luckily had his trusty orange and black Karl Lawrence shirt:

However, when looking for his black overshirt, he realized Nicholas had stolen that as well. So he finally resorted to wearing a tuxedo shirt, with pleats and french cuffs over his orange getup, and had to spend the majority of his night claiming he was not a "poser," but, in fact, a life-long fan.

Ric still gets a post-game hug from Ann despite his lack of "true-fan" gear.

Ric, fully pleated, with Ann and Brian outside the Hi-Dive after the victory.

But not to worry, Ric, we believe you. Here are some photos from Ric and Brian's phones documenting the historical night:

Go Giants!

Checking In -

2010-10-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks. Sorry for the hiatus. Just to let y'all know, Karl Lawrence is now holding walk-in tastings every Saturday and Sunday from 2-6 pm at the office. The lovely Emily here will be entertaining you, if you decide to visit us:

Emily (right)

Also, after five and a half months of spring, and just two weeks of summer, harvest has finally begun. Here's a photo of the harvest crew picking our Beckstoffer-Dr. Crane fruit outside the KL office:

Here's a photo sent to us from John Rowley and Phil Stafford. They enjoyed KL on a "sunny Chicago afternoon":

We would love to see where you guys are drinking our wine. So send us your pics!

In other, non-wine related, news, the San Francisco Giants are in the world series and our Raiders beat the snot out of the Denver Broncos. Being from the Napa Valley, we're able to pick and choose from our Bay Area sports teams.

Here's Nicholas, the Ric Henry Clan's youngest, happily taking in his Coloradan girlfriend Angie's "dismay" at Mile High:

Episode Two

2010-10-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

Finally, it's here! Featuring Nicholas's best homie since the age of four, the much anticipated, critically acclaimed Ric's Napa Valley Wine Country has released its second installment. So, without further ado, here 'tis:

Wine Night or what you will...

2010-10-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

Alrighty folks, for those of you who haven't seen Ric's letter yet (or, if you have, the deal works either way), we've got some deals for y'all! The restaurants didn't load up on our 2006 Vintage as much as usual, so we have some extra bottles lying around and want to send 'em your way! They will be available at the price the restaurant's pay and will contribute to Ric's Better Baseball Seat Fund*: $39/750 ml bottle or $468/case + sh and tax. E-mail ric@karllawrence.com for more info.

In other news - Margaret Friedrich (dedicated KL customer and long-time friend of the Henry clan) and the Saint Helena Soroptimists are teaming up with Clif/Luna, KL, and others to help host this years LUNAFEST. Lunafest is a series of short films by, about, and for women and will be premiering at the Cameo Cinema in Saint Helena on November 4th at 5:30. All the proceeds benefit Girls on the Run and Napa Emergency Women's Services (NEWS).

Well... the gang here at Karl Lawrence sure does love women, so go support a great cause, visit Lunafest's online auction and website, and, hopefully, end up drinking some great wine:

Auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220681782747

Info: www.lunafest.org

*Seeing as the Giants are now in the NL Championship Series, those closer seats are looking mighty fine.

KL's European Skateboarding Front

2010-10-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

Despite not having anything to do with the wine world, Ric has insisted on the posting of this Youtube chronicling of Nicholas skateboarding in Barcelona. So if you're bored at work and you dig skateboarding and beer drinking, or don't, watch this:

*Acquired

Also, here is a photo Ann Ryan submitted of a Karl Lawrence camping encounter in the high Sierra:

Karl Lawrence at Bowman Lake.

If any of y'all would like to submit some groovy photos of you and your Karl Lawrence, e-mail them to us at ric@karllawrence.com, and we'll post 'em on here.

KL Bluesin' on the High Seas

2010-10-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

So, recently, Ric has been quite ecstatic due to Karl Lawrence's swift new move into the Rhythm and Blues' Cruise's national spotlight:

You might have to squint to see it, but, sure enough, on the front page, Curtis Salgado sports the famous KL hat. Curtis Salgado plays the harmonica, sings, and fronts his own band and has been coined as John Belushi's inspiration for the 1980 classic: The Blues Brothers.

A French reenactment of the poster that hangs in Ric and Cheryl's bathroom.
"The most destructive team since nitro and glycerine."

In other news, to keep up with tradition, Karl Lawrence recently poured at Staglin Music Festival for Mental Health:

Shari Staglin and Glenn Close at the podium.

KL son-in-law Chris Pratt shows Karen and Neil Aldority of 55 degrees Saint Helena and the Bivens' from Napa the caves of his workplace.

KL customers Rex and Holly Oteham pose with Garren Staglin and Gay and John Greise. Ric claims to have given Garren a bigger pour of KL because he's Chris's Boss.

The next day the Indiana natives visited Henry Brothers' Ranch where Ric entertained them with some more KL.

To finish up this update, we are very pleased to announce that Ric made it to his @#th birthday this past weekend:

Blowing out countless candles with Indiana, Zoey, and Jasper at Lissa's new jungle hideaway.

The next day, the Jameson's took the birthday boy to watch the San Francisco Giants' Barry Zito prohibit them from clinching the title a day early (however they eventually succeeded).

Ric looking thrilled that he's a year older. If you would like to see Ric with closer seats next year, feel free to buy more wine.

For more information on Curtis Salgado and Staglin:

¡Bienvenidos Vinodores!

2010-09-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

So the gang here at Karl Lawrence has decided to set up a blog which will announce, articulate, and elaborate upon the ever-exciting shenanigans that constantly occur at this winery. We will be documenting everything Karl Lawrence from the Team Karl Lawrence cycling extravaganzas to Ric's KL tours of Youtube to the countless dinners, pourings, and parties that our gang makes more fun.

In recent news, Ben Henry, the middle son of the Bryan Henry clan, has finally tied the knot! The special lady, Tegan Zimmerman ¡Henry!, appeared most excited to claim the final Bryan Henry as her new hubby. It was a spectacular wedding and an even more spectacular party ensued. Congrats B & T!

(Photo courtesy of Tegan. More wedding pics to come later!)

To start the new blog off with a bang, here is a "re-posting" of our first episode, of the redundantly titled, but ever the more fantastic, "Ric's Napa Valley Wine Country." Our following episodes have been slightly delayed, but we expect an entire series to pop out in the next few months. Enjoy and stay tuned:

*Photo for background courtesy of Craig Issacs. Taken at his home during a vertical of KL.