1997 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon

Karl Lawrence was founded in 1991 when Michael Karl Trujillo and Bryan Lawrence Henry combined their middle names to come up with a name for their wine venture. Ric Henry was also an owner. Trujillo grew up in Colorado and has had a long and successful career in winemaking in Napa Valley, where he started with Sequoia Grove in 1982 and is now company president. Through the 1990s Karl Lawrence sourced most of its grapes from Gary Morisoli’s Rutherford vineyard, and a small amount from a part of the Herb Lamb Vineyard that is outside of the Howell Mountain AVA. Starting in 2000 Karl Lawrence sourced grapes from Beckstoffer’s To Kalon and Dr. Crane vineyards. Karl Lawrence made premium Cabernet Sauvignon in small quantities and earned acclaim from wine writers. Karl Lawrence ended production with the 2010 vintage after its owners decided to pursue other business interests.

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.