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One of the most common questions asked is: Who is Karl Lawrence? In 1991 Michael Karl Trujillo and Bryan Lawrence Henry founded Karl Lawrence Cellars. See where the name comes from? 
Michael and Bryan's friendship goes back many years and have always shared the idea of making an ultra premium Cabernet from the Napa Valley.  It was then, in 1991 that Michael and Bryan produced their first vintage of Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon with a colossal production of 150 cases.  The first three vintages were entirely handled by Michael and Bryan along with the help of their family and friends. 
     In 1994 Ric Henry, Bryan's brother, came on board as a new additional partner to Karl Lawrence. With plenty of hard and persistent work, Karl Lawrence Cellars has become well recognized as a premium producer of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  A small and steady growth in production as well as outstanding quality grapes has us producing about 900 cases of the 1997 Vintage. We are very proud of our progress. Michael, our Winemaker, is responsible for the making of the Karl Lawrence wines and all the day to day business management.  He also wears the hat of Associate Winemaker for Sequoia Grove Winery and a majority of his time is busy with the making of Sequoia Grove's wines.  Our business office is actually set up in Michael's' new home and most of the time he is the person you speak to when you call.  He enjoys personally responding to your calls and mail.  He is kept quite busy but it is obvious that he very much enjoys all of his work.  Don't get the wrong picture here; Michael's favorite pastime is woodworking.  It is not uncommon to find him in a pile of sawdust in his new wood shop creating something extraordinary out of wood. 
    Bryan, an OB/GYN is always very busy but has a unique opportunity to do some very interesting travel.  At the time when Karl Lawrence was just starting, Bryan was involved in a very successful medical practice here in St. Helena.  But, in 1994 Bryan announced he was leaving his practice to join the Air Force.  Not only were we all shocked by the news, all of us in the community were sad to see him leave.  Bryan has spent the last two and a half years as an OB/GYN in the Air Force.  He serves as a Lt. Colonel and he and his family are stationed at the Ramstein Air base in Germany.  Being in central Europe, Bryan with his wife Pat and his children have taken advantage of this opportunity and travel throughout Europe.  He is still running marathons and will travel to Berlin, Paris or any city that still takes his age group.  He plans to return to Napa Valley this winter and rejoin Ric's wife Cheryl in her medical Practice. Ric left his career as a social work Administrator to be a full-time househusband over eight years ago.  When his youngest child began kindergarten, Ric worked to squeeze in as much golf and tennis as possible and started a second career in screen writing. Ric recently returned to ‘real work” this year by providing part-time back-up for St. Helena's Home Care social workers in Napa and Lake counties.