Announcing the Release of
2001 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon
2001 Aldin Red Table Wine
2002 Aldin Chardonnay
Ten Years
for
KARL LAWRENCE CELLARS
All of us here at Karl Lawrence Cellars are extremely proud to announce our vintage release ten year anniversary. This has been a dream come true. In 1991, we started with friendships, a vision, outstanding Napa Valley grapes, a small production, and a lot of great support. We never could have imagined such a wonderful journey.
We are proud to say that the original three partners, Michael, Bryan, and Ric, still run and operate everything at Karl Lawrence today. Throughout the past ten years, we, the partners, have had wonderful hands-on experiences growing this venture. It is truly fun, but, at times, not always easy to get everything to come together as planned. As many of you remember, we have had a few hiccups organizing, allocating, and shipping wines. We thank you for being supportive and patient. Ten years operating Karl Lawrence Cellars has given us many wonderful and learning experiences that have only added to our wisdom.
We thank each and every person who has purchased and supported Karl Lawrence wines throughout the years. IT has been all of you, not the press, who have made the Karl Lawrence wines highly respected and sought after today. It is to all our loyal customers that we express our sincerest gratitude in making Karl Lawrence successful. We could not have done it without you.
As we have done in the past ten years, we will always be committed and loyal to all our supportive friends and customers. We will continue to strive to deliver outstanding, high quality Napa Valley wines year after year. The future will bring to you, our customers, the first and best opportunities that we have to offer from Karl Lawrence Cellars.
Thank you,
Michael, Bryan, & Ric
KARL LAWRENCE
2001 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
We proudly announce the release of our 2001 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2001 vintage may be recognized as one of the most classic vintages of the decade. For the first time, this Karl Lawrence Cabernet is made by the artful blending of three different Napa Valley vineyards. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 76% Morisoli Vineyard in Rutherford, 16% Herb Lamb Vineyard, just off Howell Mountain, and, for the first time, 8% from the Beckstoffer-To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville. It is the unique blending of these three different vineyards and Napa Valley appellations, that elevates and defines the style of Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon.
Winemaker notes:
This 2001 is a rock star vintage and expresses all the great characters of 1997 and 1999 vintages blended together. It is full, rich, bold, and forward, with aromas of currant, black fruit, sweet dark chocolate, and spice. The wine is well structured with the right amount of acid and tannin to carry this wine for many years of improvement.
A L D I N
WINES
Aldin derives from our partner, Ric's middle name. These Aldin wines are only offered exclusively to our mailing list customers. The annual production for each wine is less than 120 cases. We make and offer these wines to be enjoyed on a more leisure approach. Enjoy!
2002 Aldin Chardonnay
This 2002 Chardonnay is a small production wine made with 100% barrel fermented Chardonnay, and undergoes 25% malolactic fermentation. It is aged in French oak for eight months on its natural lees for added characters and nuances. The wine expresses its varietals characters and is created as a refreshing, well structured wine to be enjoyed on its own or to compliment food.
2001 Aldin Red Table Wine
This small production Meritage-style red wine is made from some of the same grapes that go into the Karl Lawrence Cabernet. Blended with 62% Cabernet Sauvignon that comes from Morisoli, Herb Lamb, and Beckstoffer-To Kalon vineyards, plus 24% Merlot from Boeschen Vineyard and 14% Cab Franc from Beckstoffer-To Kalon vineyard. The blending if these three varietals differentiates it from our main Karl Lawrence Cabernet. It is a rich, plush and sexy Napa Valley red wine to be enjoyed anytime. This wine guarantees to over-deliver at this price point.
2003 Harvest & Vintage
Greater than our Expectations
Wow! What a year. This 2001 vintage offered us a roller coaster ride throughout the entire season. A few warm days in March and the vines awaking only to be led into the coolest and wettest April we have ever experienced in the Napa Valley. The vines just seemed to stall throughout the early spring. Finally as the weather warmed, the vines pushed to set and moved through verasion. At this point it felt as if we were a full two to three weeks behind a normal harvest. Many grape varieties were affected by the cool spring, however, Cabernet Sauvignon seemed to fair the best. Cabernet crop levels were slightly down, but this was favorable because of the late start. Summer temperatures were normal which had us all expecting a very late harvest. September gave us some warmer weather accelerating the grapes' maturity and making up for some lost time caused by the spring conditions. By early October, the harvest started with frenzy for some Merlot and a small amount of Cabernet only to come to a complete halt. The remainder of the grapes needed more hang time to achieve full maturity and flavors. So we waited. Then we waited some more. Heck, we even had time to go to a few baseball games. Finally, by October 22, the remaining grapes were ready to be picked. These grapes came in absolutely perfect and to the fullest of maturity. Color, extraction, and flavors are near perfection.
The rewards for patience and persistence will be an exciting and wonderful expression in the 2003 Karl Lawrence vines.
News
Michael is constantly busy making wine for Karl Lawrence Cellars and Sequoia Grove Winery. They both keep him hopping, but he loves it. Not to worry though, he does manage to get some personal fun in too. For Karl Lawrence, he works to improve the wines by searching for the best Napa Valley grapes and crafting them into wonderful wines. Last heard, he already has something up his sleeve for the 2003 Vintage. Michael has recently been given full reins at Sequoia Grove for winemaking and winemaking operations. He is excited and looks forward to the challenge of elevating and making his mark on the Sequoia Groves wines as well.
Bryan has pared down his medical practice to part-time, enabling him to study viticulture at Napa College on a full-time basis. He's working to expand his time in winemaking and vineyard management. He hopes and trusts that the permit will be approved soon for preparing his parent's Howell Mountain acreage for planting in 2005. Bryan, Patti, their three sons, and daughter-in-law celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary by touring the canals of Whales in narrow boats.
Ric continues to expand and update the office, computer system, data base, and ordering and shipping operations. He plans to have a little more help this year than last, but works to keep overhead low in an effort to maintain Karl Lawrence wines leadership status as the best quality-to-value ratio available. Ric and Cheryl also celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary at Fresh Cream, on Cannery Row, in Monterey. They'll become grandparents this summer and one of Ric's scripts was optioned by Yankee Films.
Notes
2001 Vineyard Designated Reserves will be released this Fall. The Offering Newsletter will be sent to those customers who purchased the 1999 Reserves. In addition, customers who have asked to receive the offering, will be sent the Newsletter based on their seniority. The 2001 Reserves production is larger than what was available in 1999.
The allocation system is used in an attempt to be fair to all our customers and as a way to respect the wishes of those customers who have been with us for a longer amount of time. It also helps us keep the prices of our wines down and contributes to a smoother planning and ordering process. The allocation numbers are not written in stone and, for the most part, are based on last year's purchases or requests. Please indicate what adjustments you would like in your allocations and ordering and we will do our best to fulfill your wishes. It is a little harder for us to make adjustments with the splits and larger format bottles. Also, please understand that the production levels for the 2001 vintage are the same as the previous year and that more people have been added to our mailing list. We appreciate your patience, and, as you know, we always "work to keep our customers satisfied."
You become a Reserve Customer when you purchase three years in a row directly from the winery. Your status as a Reserve Customer is noted in the upper right hand corner of your order form and your prices for the wines are discounted. This is our way of thanking you for your loyalty as we cannot offer volume discounts in an allocation system.
Will-call will be more difficult to transact this year because of the expansion of our host custom-crush facility. We encourage you to ship Karl Lawrence wines as a first option. We will continue to work to provide will-call on a limited basis at one of several locations in the Valley. Please check our web site or call for the most current information.
Ordering & Shipping
To order, fill out the attached order form and mail or fax it to our office. You may also email us. Check, Visa or MasterCard only, please, for wine payments. All orders require a Visa or MasterCard number for shipping. Your signature authorizes the charges for both the wine and shipping. In some cases the charge for shipping will come from Karl Lawrence.
The shipping table on the order form reflects estimated shipping costs to reciprocal states only. Independent wine shipping companies handle all wine shipments, and they will bill your credit card with the correct amount.
Please ship to your business address when at all possible to ensure that someone is there to sign for the shipment and to safely store the wine.
Please Note: shipping surcharges caused by changes, incorrect addresses, or failure to deliver, will be passed on to the customer.
Please be patient with us in the shipping process. We have kept our overhead costs to a minimum in order to provide you with a good value. With this in mind, we do not have the staff and capabilities of a large winery. As Buff says, "like making fine wine, shipping it takes time."
Thank You,
From All Of Us At
Karl Lawrence Cellars
