Baby Jack and Part 4 of 6

Before the unveiling of the newest installment of Wine Guys in Spandex, we have some other, much more important, news. Our general manager, Jefferson Henry and his lovely wife Alisa, just gave birth to a new Henry boy.

So without further adieu, ladies and gentlemen, here is John "Jack" Solo Henry:

Born Wednesday, October 17, 2012. Congrats, Jeff and Alisa!

Well... Li'l Jack's going to be a hard act to follow. But here goes nothing. 

In this episode of Wine Guys in Spandex, non-cyclists (or just cyclists who've never had the privilege of riding on the Tour of Napa Valley) will get to see the mysterious bag-piper of Mt. Veeder. He's an old soul who volunteers to stand atop the first serious climb of the ride in order to give bicycling folks a Braveheart type of courage.

You'll also get your first glimpse of what the Napa Valley looks like as the rising sun burns through the early morning fog... But enough of the flowery language, here's episode 4 of Wine Guys in Spandex:

Wine Guys in Spandex: Part 3 of 6

In the episode, Team Karl Lawrence finally hits the road. Who would of thought these nerds would ever stop talking and actually ride?

Well, there's still a bit of lolly-gagging and trash talk, but you guys know the deal, so let's cut to the chase. Here's the third installment of Wine Guys in Spandex:

The Office Gets Bottle Shocked

With harvest nearing full throttle, the tasters keep on coming. On a few occasions, we've even had some famous faces swing by for a visit.

Here's famous Napa Valley wine guy, Jim Barrett, holding a tennis painting of himself done by St. Helena artist Greg De Lucca.

Yes, this is the Jim Barrett from the movie Bottle Shock. But contrary to popular belief, Ric is not one of Jim's boxing partners. However, he and Jim are regular tennis partners. 

Here's Jim and his whole tennis crew, Ric included:

And here's a picture of Alice and Norm Farley. Norm was Ric's 10th and 11th grade Bible teacher at Sacramento Adventist Academy. They're the ones responsible for giving Ric his job after college (at their group home for wayward girls, in Riverside, CA). And to show you how progressive they've become, they did leave with some Karl Lawrence.

In other news, the offering letter for our '08 Reserve goes out via email. So keep your eyes peeled!

Wine Guys in Spandex: Part 2 of 6

We're sure seeing Ric's Pasta Pig-Out kept you on the edge of your seats, but instead of lamenting over missing out in 2012 (or 2010), you can join our cycling team and attend the Pig-Out yourself in 2013. 

But ye be warned! This episode does include Ric in a hot tub... 

So, regardless of your feelings toward the situation, you can admire his dedication to the sport by getting up at 5:15 AM to "loosen up."

Okay, we're getting side-tracked. Here's episode 2:

Wine Guys in Spandex: Part 1 of 6

A little over two years ago, Ric set out on an endeavor to make a documentary film chronicling the epic journey of Cycling Team Karl Lawrence on the storied Tour of Napa Valley.

Despite a talented and on-top-of-it cinematographer, Aaron Doyle (one of Lissa's students), the post-production crew was... well, not as punctual.

So let's fast-forward over the two years of procrastination, tears, and hardship and show y'all the video. In it's entirety it's around 20 minutes, so we're premiering it in installments over the next week or two. 

So, sit back. Relax. And enjoy some Wine Guys in Spandex:

Staglin's Show 2012

It's amazing how the years fly by. Yep, another great Staglin Music Festival for Mental Health has already came and gone. And to prove it, here's a blurry cell phone photo of Germain Jackson, of the Jackson 5:

But Germain wasn't the only ol' star showing his face around Staglin. Rusty Staub, who you might know from 23 seasons in Major League Baseball, volunteers every year as the festival doorman. Each year, he tastes each and every wine and picks out the best of the bunch. 

This year he picked the '07 Karl Lawrence Herb Lamb Single Vineyard Reserve. After deeming it worthy, he sent most everyone he talked to at the event back to Ric's table to try some. Thanks, Rusty!

And here's Ric with Bill James. He's from Chicago, a big fan of Karl Lawrence, and tasted a truck load of wines at the Staglin event.

On Sunday, Silverado Orchards (the retirement home around the corner from Ric's house), held a classic car show. Ric showed the '36 Buick and poured wine, while his cousin, Ed Stump showed his '94 Morgan. Here's Ed having a swell time:

A rare view of KL in 2012

Well, folks, blog-posts have been few and far between in 2012 but we got a few photo-updates for you guys so, enjoy:

Here's longtime Karl Lawrence people, Hans and Inger about to take a '36 Buick ride to Henry Brothers' Ranch:

Again, keep in mind that if you decide to come visit us in St. Helena, you might get lucky enough to score a ride with Ric in one of his throw-back hot-rods... He'll probably just try to get you to ride a bike but like the great Wayne Gretzky said: "You miss %100 of the shots you don't take." So come give it your best shot.

And here's Thi-Nga with Doug Gallagher, and Tom and Kirsten Minasian from Newport Beach. They're a very KL savvy crew who've made Napa Valley a frequent stomping grounds.

And lastly, here's Frank Reich, Kathy Bollinger, Elizabeth Reich, and Tom Bollinger, all of Scottsdale, AZ at their first stop of the day, Outpost Winery:  

They bought the day with Ric at the Make A Wish charity auction. Yes, they got to cruise around visiting our friends' wineries in the '36 Buick. With Ric as their sober driver...

So if you want to take the Buick or the Dodge further than just around the block, make it an official ride by attending one of the many charity events we're involved in and start bidding! 

More pics of these lucky tasters to come! We just wanted to clue you in on the epic view you guys are missing at Outpost!

Thanks for tuning in!