2016 Gård Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Klasse Reserve, Columbia Valley
Tasting Notes
90 points ~ Robert Parker/ Wine Advocate
Smoldering black tea, black currants, cassis, raspberry puree, and vanilla bean. Swirling adds ripe plum skin, caramelized strawberry, and a hint of savory herbs. The palate is round and generous with plush textures and fine supporting tannins. Layers of ripe red and black fruits carry this into a long beautiful finish.
Vintage Notes
This was fermented in 88% concrete and 12% stainless steel. Aged in 100% new French oak for our longest èlevage to date of 26 months. This is also the first time we’ve included any Merlot in this wine and I certainly think it adds some textural depth and aromatic perfume. Certainly the extra èlevage gives the wine extra density and persistence. One of my favorite GK Cabs to date.
This wine is produced Vegan.
Vineyard Notes
Gård Vintners is 100% estate grown sustainably at Lawrence Vineyards in the Royal Slope AVA. Lawrence Vineyards features seven distinct vineyard sites with elevations ranging from 930 feet to 1,675 feet. The combination of elevation and south-facing slope provides a great framework for grape production, while the diversity of the seven locations delivers a high level of complexity to Gård wines. Lawrence Vineyards is certified sustainable by Vinewise.org.
2016 Gård Vintners Syrah Grand Klasse Reserve, Columbia Valley
Tasting Notes
91 points ~ Robert Parker/ Wine Advocate
Intense floral blue fruits, hardwood smoke, bacon fat, and garrigue. Swirling brings up plum, blueberry, and blackberry compote with black pepper and spicy charcuterie. The palate is dense with sweet and smoky fruit, silky tannins, and a bright lifted finish. An uncompromising Syrah.
Vintage Notes
Fermented in 80% concrete tanks, 6% whole cluster. Aged in 75% new French oak puncheons for 20 months. Made from 4 picks and 3 different clones from the Scarline blocks. 60% Joseph Phelps, 20% Sara Lee, and 20% Tablas Creek Clone. Meant to deliver pure, dark, and concentrated flavors. With the addition of the Thunderstone and Winemaker’s Select, this wine drops right in between the savory nature of the Thunderstone and the smoldering intensity of the Winemaker’s Select.
Inspired by the French Grand Cru wines, Gård “Grand Klasse” is our reserve-level program, aptly named in reflection of our Scandinavian heritage. It represents the top tier of Gård wines, the best of what our estate vineyard has to offer. Award-winning wines produced by winemaker Aryn Morell to showcase the quality of the Lawrence Vineyards estate. To be designated “Grand Klasse,” each wine must meet strict standards of quality and is blended, bottled, and aged with the utmost of care to bring you the very best of our grapes and effort in the bottle.
Specs
Vintage: 2016
Varietal Composition: 100% Syrah
Appellation: Columbia Valley,
Vineyard: Lawrence Vineyards
pH: 3.85
Aging: 75% new French oak 500L’s
Alcohol: 14.9%
Cases Produced: 215
Winemaker: Aryn Morell
Included in the Box
4-bottles:
2x 2016 Gård Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Klasse Reserve, Columbia Valley
2x 2016 Gård Vintners Syrah Grand Klasse Reserve, Columbia Valley
Case:
6x 2016 Gård Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Klasse Reserve, Columbia Valley
6x 2016 Gård Vintners Syrah Grand Klasse Reserve, Columbia Valley
Gård, meaning “farm” in many of the Scandinavian languages, is a tribute to our family’s Scandinavian heritage and farming tradition.
Our mission at Gård is to capture and bottle the unique characteristics of the land we farm. We humbly craft value-driven, award-winning wines from our sustainable estate vineyards to create lasting memories for our customers. Gård Vintners is dedicated to crafting world-class wines from its sustainably farmed estate vineyard on the Royal Slope of Washington’s Columbia Valley AVA. We produce 6,000 cases a year for our wine club, three tasting rooms, and select distribution in the northwest and across the country.
Founded in 2006, Gård Vintners is a family-owned and operated estate winery in the heart of Washington’s Columbia Valley AVA, with vineyards on the Royal Slope, wine production in Walla Walla, and tasting rooms in Woodinville, Walla Walla, and Ellensburg.
The winery was founded by Josh and Lisa Lawrence, along with Josh’s dad John Lawrence, and Uncle Sandy Lawrence, who had farmed the Royal Slope for more than 40 years. The winery and estate vineyard is now owned and operated by Josh and his wife, Lisa, who oversees sales and marketing, while Josh oversees the vineyard and other farm and orchard operations.
In 2011 Aryn Morell joined the team as winemaker, and winemaking is now managed at M&L Production in Walla Walla, a partnership between Morell and the Lawrences.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA, WI
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Gård Vintners Grand Klasse Reserve Reds - $50 = 16.65%
I picked up the single-serving box and said “This is going to be good!”. It was weighty and I suspected a classy red was within. I sliced open the box with the Henckels paring knife that I use almost exclusively to cut foil from my wine bottles, and found a beautiful heavy bottle of 2016 Gård Grand Klasse Reserve Cabernet nestled in its cardboard enclosure. Anticipation…you know how - when a woman is wearing red heels, with lipstick and nails to match (or for those of you preferring the other persuasion: when a handsome man is wearing a tuxedo, and looks comfortable in it)? That kind of anticipation. Settle down, had to wait ‘til Friday to experience it.
(Note: From the discussion yesterday…A heavy bottle does give me an impression of class…or klasse, as it were…)
Friday afternoon; I scored the foil with my trusty Henckels, peeled it off and extracted the cork with a satisfying “Pop”. Did I just imagine a wonderful odor emanating from the bottle, or was it real. I poured a little into each of two Casemates stemless glasses. I swirled one glass and noticed the legs were phenomenal…we’re still talking about the wine here. The nose was brooding, with the slight sting of ethanol. I tipped the glass and took my first taste…not a small one. THIS is a good Washington Cabernet Sauvignon! This Gård has more acid than a Napa Cab; just what I would expect from Washington. On its own, right after opening, this wine has great flavor, wonderful dark fruit and a long finish, but a little too much acid for me. I brought the second glass down to the basement where SWMBO was finishing up her work for the day. Upon smelling she said “Old World”, then tried it and said “I like it”. Now, about 15 minutes later “the acidic flavor has diminished somewhat”. I finished my first allotment all too quickly, so I’ll have to give you more details later. I suspect that this wine will get better with time in the glass or with food. It reminds me of Col Solare, which has aged very nicely in my cellar. This Gård is still too young.
I noticed that Casemates has had a couple of the lower tier Gårds in the past, and people have enjoyed them. Also, Robert Parker (my guy) gives this 90 points, and others are even more generous. And, if the price is right (under $25 a bottle,…$40-$55 retail) it should be a sell-out.
Later that day…after sitting on the counter uncorked for an hour or so, and once through the Vinturi. Great nose, bold flavor, long finish, great legs, still acid and I sense a little herbaciosness to it now that wasn’t present before (does not complement Thai food).
Saturday: Still, impressive legs. Delicious. Mouth full of flavor…a full range of dark fruits…blackberry-currant, not plum or prune. Not viscous/muddy, but elevated/vibrant with chewy tannins. I think that this wine is very good now, but will be fabulous if you stash it in the cellar a few years or longer.
This is a Black Tie event, and I certainly hope we get a jeans and flannel shirt price.
Nice pricing it seems. Different vintages but the Grand Klasse cab was solo here for $299 and the GK syrah was solo for $259 not so long ago… fwiw, probably not much
I was lucky enough to get to Lab Rat the Syrah. I was excited to get the shipping notice on this one with plenty of time before release. It arrived on Thursday and I had time to let the bottle rest after shipping for a couple days. I had already planned on having NY strip on Sunday, so this seemed like a great chance to pair it.
On opening, the cork had hints of black raspberries, oiled leather and cedar on the nose. It is a deep burgundy color, almost purple.
The syrah had a clean, light mouthfeel, but still full. I got cherries, plum, black raspberry, light tobacco and leather. It finished very clean with just a hint of acid. It had some light tannins and it is definitely dry, but not bone dry.
While drinking with the meal, it had a much more full mouthfeel. It did well with the steak and gnocchi and was a delicious accompaniment. I didn’t get any specific new flavors, but it was definitely a more rounded flavor and was just a solid red wine to pair with steak.
I saved some for the next day and it had the same more rounded mouthfeel as the day before with the steak. There is a slight bit more acidity than when it was first opened, but definitely not in a bad way. The wine drank easily with a meal or without, although I did prefer it with the meal. Overall, this was a great tasting wine that I would eat with red meat, hearty pastas, or just drink over the course of a night while reading a good book. Delicious!
I can’t seem to get the Lab Rats logo to load and am not sure how to add my pic. But it was a beautiful wine and tasted great!
Received the UPS shipping notice before the e-mail on this one, a bottle was on it’s way. No, not the Iron Horse Mag, but a bottle to rat. Delivery was Wednesday and I left the bottle to rest until Friday evening.
2016 Gård Syrah Grand Klasse Reserve Looks like a nice bottle.
Cork was a bear to get out - waiter’s friend corkscrew couldn’t budge it; guess my covid exercise regime has been too focused on lifting full glasses; need to work on wrist strength. Brought out an Ah So and was able to break the seal and get it out. Long, synthetic cork-
Dark, dense purple in the glass, long, long legs that last forever. Heavy, sweet fruit on the nose, pepper and florals. Dense wine, almost chewy mouthfeel, again the legs were some of the longest I’ve seen. Long finish with enough acid to keep your mouth watering and waiting for the next sip. Bad focus on this one but here for color
Black and blue fruits -on the pop, heavy with the garrigue and floral notes (violets maybe)
Big fruits, and peppery smokiness , bacon fat/smoked meats. On Saturday, with heavily spiced beer butt chicken, it paired well enough (which I though a bit strange) and seemed to move further to the savory side. There was still fruit present, but the savory components were in charge.
This wine was a bit tough for me to figure out. Early on, there was a lot of fruit on the nose, on the palate too. But then it really settled in on the savory side of syrah. It was full bodied and mouth filling with good acid. I imagine a smoked brisket or other BBQ would be a killer pairing.
Looks to be a deal with the list price of $50 and a nice mix with the Cab on offer
@Boatman72@chipgreen@marikar@mrn1@pjmartin hi, all! I like Syrah more than cab/ cab sauv but am happy to take any combo if there are leftovers; these sound interesting!
@chipgreen@lonadoonage@marikar@mrn1@pjmartin@scott0210
Hi All, Welcome to @lonadoonage!
We have a WA State Cab Sauvignon (100 cases produced) and a Syrah (2015 cases produced) and it’s available in OH!! That’s a lot of pluses already! Since this offer is for 2 varietals, I’m thinking 2 btls would mean one of each; 4 btls would mean two of each. So I bought a case and my brother has passed. So since I don’t want a full case and my son is more of an IPA consumer. I’ll put up 2 btls of each to split! (I might even put up 3 bottles of each since my basement is loaded with no more room!). No cherry-picking one varietal!! LOL
@Boatman72@chipgreen@marikar@mrn1@pjmartin@scott0210 oh, sure - sorry my ramblings aren’t clear. I was mostly just talking to myself with what I like, but basically I’m flexible. Both sound interesting. If anyone needs me to grab 2 or even 4 I’m in. If everyone has it covered that’s fine as well. I’m sure many others have me beat but I’m up to around 60 bottles piled up (yes, on their side) in my basement and most of the time in a cleveland Covid winter it’s just me drinking them!
Well, looks like I got the lucky end of the stick, as I was notified about an incoming lab rat bottle and received it the next day. The weather in Texas has been favorable for shipping wine, so I was glad they snuck me in before it turns into 1000 degrees outside and doom for all wine.
Received my bottle on Wednesday, a nice hefty package, the Grand Klasse Cab. Endeavored to open it on Sunday, unfortunately knowing it was going to only be me tasting it (the wife is alas recently pregnant!), but I was up for the task.
Pop and pour - the cork is very lightly stained, it must not have been in bottle long. Smell from the bottle is light fruit, no signs of alcohol or tannin, which I was pleased by - I often find some cabs unapproachable when first opening.
First pour - excellent smell. Dark raspberries, some vanilla, a hint of earthiness / herbiness that I can’t put my finger on. The taste echoes this - a bit of firm tannin on the middle of the palate, but good balance of dark fruit, which I noted as plum and cherries, as well as some cedar and a tinge of what I considered tobacco but could also be smokiness. There’s also some red licorice in there that came and went. The taste is lingering and evolved, picking up some herbiness that I again couldn’t pinpoint, but left me wanting more. This wine is mouthwatering, with excellent mouthfeel and a creaminess that just begs to be drank more. My first glass was gone and I was moving onto the next before I realized it.
I endeavored to wait a little longer for next glasses, leaving the bottle open for a few hours and having a glass with steak kebabs. The wine held well, although the kebabs were probably a bit light for it. The tannins have faded back and some of the taste has become more nuanced, but hasn’t evolved significantly. The wine is very easy to drink. I corked the bottle to save the other half for the next day.
Second day, the wine hasn’t gotten any more exciting, still good, but I probably wouldn’t cellar this wine for more than 5 years or so.
I put this bottle at probably a $35-40 retail price and would have expected it to come in around $20 on casemates. I’m pleasantly surprised to see that I’m pretty spot on. I had originally planned on autobuying a case if it was just the cab (or maybe even a vertical!) but will be thinking about it a bit more now with the Syrah mixed in (I have a lot of Syrah right now!)
@ampeloquin22 I’d prefer a three-way split if we can pull it off (I don’t really need more wine, ya know), but would take a two-way split if necessary. I used to get to the Twin Cities about once a month, but these days it’s less often, so you’d have to be willing to hold it for a bit.
Sounds like a good one to stash for a couple years and bring out for a special occasion. In for the four pack, since my cellar runneth over.
/giphy mighty-mushy-mimosa
@gardwine Hi thanks for being available. I know I love wines from this region and already ordered early, so no doubts for me. This is just kind-of for curiosity. But I was wondering about the types of cork/closures you use. This was described by a reviewer as a “long, synthetic cork” that was “a bear to remove.” I will say I’m not a fan of synthetic corks. I actually would definitely prefer a “screw-cap” over a synthetic. Or the old classic kind, though those do add some risk over time.
@pmarin Thanks for the love! We have been transitioning many of our wines over to the Vinc corks, which essentially provide a guarantee against cork taint/TCA. In the version used for the 2016 reds, we have had occurrences, albeit rare, that they are tougher to get out of the bottle than a standard cork. Since then, my understanding is that these corks have evolved to not cause that occasional issue - but that probably explains it in the mention by that reviewer. Cheers!
@gardwine@pmarin@deadlyapp
After looking at the Vinc site, I see three of their corks are for “still wines up to three years”, or words to that effect.
That, to me, would seem to imply you wouldn’t suggest aging these any longer.
That, again for me, is a very near term window.
How do you expect these to age gracefully and show improvement?
Do you have any additional labs for these, other than the AbV and pH?
@gardwine@pmarin@rjquillin this would jive with how the wine is drinking now. I don’t think a few years would hurt it but it’s drinking exceptionally well now and didn’t strike me as a wine that needed many additional years.
@deadlyapp@pmarin@rjquillin Sorry - for clarity, this vintage uses Reserva corks from Nomacorc. My apologies on the misstatement. It’s considered their best-in-class closure for premium wines, and have a zero carbon footprint. Tanzer suggests the drinking window for the Cab to be 2020-2028, and 2022-2030 for the Syrah.
@pete0744 I have a number of them. I think some came with the first release of the QPR. Others came with some special Casemates coupon deal that was offered over on Meh. I wouldn’t be surprised if some were also included in the initial Kickstarter Launch Party Kits (or whatever they were called). I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a reappearance of them in some future offering.
@rjquillin Okay. Yeah. I’m good with all of that. I also have ~8 that go back to you (4x Gersing Vamp Syrah, 2x 2016 Anne Amie Riesling, 2x 2017 Anne Amie Riesling). So that won’t be a huge net gain for me.
@accs@radiolysis@rjquillin No, sorry - I got pulled into a sev one outage before I could pull the trigger. One of my customer’s had a site down. Drinking Bookers to calm my nerves now…
@accs@michaelvella@radiolysis
What’s a sev one outage?
Agree, it would have been nice to sample, but,
space is the limiting factor.
[edit] ddg search to the rescue of a sev one.
@gardwine OMG…just popped a cork of your Grande Klasse Cab paired with a homemade pizza topped with local artisan Linguica, grilled sweet onion, sautéed shiitakes, fresh oregano & rosemary, and finished with a decades aged reduced balsamic Italian vinegar. Talk about mind blowing! I need my very own bottle with this meal…not sharing!
@gardwine Had a profound experience with a 2009 Southard Syrah Lawrence Vineyard back in 2016. Lots of Southard and more recently Gård wines since then.
2016 Gård Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Klasse Reserve, Columbia Valley
Tasting Notes
90 points ~ Robert Parker/ Wine Advocate
Vintage Notes
Vineyard Notes
Specs
2016 Gård Vintners Syrah Grand Klasse Reserve, Columbia Valley
Tasting Notes
91 points ~ Robert Parker/ Wine Advocate
Vintage Notes
Specs
Included in the Box
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$617.46 at Gård Vintners for 6x 2016 Gård Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Klasse Reserve, Columbia Valley, and 6x 2016 Gård Vintners Syrah Grand Klasse Reserve, Columbia Valley
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA, WI
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Feb 11 - Monday, Feb 15
Gård Vintners Grand Klasse Reserve Reds
4 bottles for $99.99 $25/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $249.99 $20.83/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2016 Gård Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Klasse Reserve
2016 Gård Vintners Syrah Grand Klasse Reserve
This must be something special!
@MuchoRojo absolutely! And not even Friday yet
Yes, please.
/giphy foulest-kindhearted-peanut
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Gård Vintners Grand Klasse Reserve Reds - $50 = 16.65%
2016 Gård Grand Klasse Reserve Cabernet
I picked up the single-serving box and said “This is going to be good!”. It was weighty and I suspected a classy red was within. I sliced open the box with the Henckels paring knife that I use almost exclusively to cut foil from my wine bottles, and found a beautiful heavy bottle of 2016 Gård Grand Klasse Reserve Cabernet nestled in its cardboard enclosure. Anticipation…you know how - when a woman is wearing red heels, with lipstick and nails to match (or for those of you preferring the other persuasion: when a handsome man is wearing a tuxedo, and looks comfortable in it)? That kind of anticipation. Settle down, had to wait ‘til Friday to experience it.
(Note: From the discussion yesterday…A heavy bottle does give me an impression of class…or klasse, as it were…)
Friday afternoon; I scored the foil with my trusty Henckels, peeled it off and extracted the cork with a satisfying “Pop”. Did I just imagine a wonderful odor emanating from the bottle, or was it real. I poured a little into each of two Casemates stemless glasses. I swirled one glass and noticed the legs were phenomenal…we’re still talking about the wine here. The nose was brooding, with the slight sting of ethanol. I tipped the glass and took my first taste…not a small one. THIS is a good Washington Cabernet Sauvignon! This Gård has more acid than a Napa Cab; just what I would expect from Washington. On its own, right after opening, this wine has great flavor, wonderful dark fruit and a long finish, but a little too much acid for me. I brought the second glass down to the basement where SWMBO was finishing up her work for the day. Upon smelling she said “Old World”, then tried it and said “I like it”. Now, about 15 minutes later “the acidic flavor has diminished somewhat”. I finished my first allotment all too quickly, so I’ll have to give you more details later. I suspect that this wine will get better with time in the glass or with food. It reminds me of Col Solare, which has aged very nicely in my cellar. This Gård is still too young.
I noticed that Casemates has had a couple of the lower tier Gårds in the past, and people have enjoyed them. Also, Robert Parker (my guy) gives this 90 points, and others are even more generous. And, if the price is right (under $25 a bottle,…$40-$55 retail) it should be a sell-out.
Later that day…after sitting on the counter uncorked for an hour or so, and once through the Vinturi. Great nose, bold flavor, long finish, great legs, still acid and I sense a little herbaciosness to it now that wasn’t present before (does not complement Thai food).
Saturday: Still, impressive legs. Delicious. Mouth full of flavor…a full range of dark fruits…blackberry-currant, not plum or prune. Not viscous/muddy, but elevated/vibrant with chewy tannins. I think that this wine is very good now, but will be fabulous if you stash it in the cellar a few years or longer.
This is a Black Tie event, and I certainly hope we get a jeans and flannel shirt price.
@FritzCat Annnnnd…In for a case.
@FritzCat Super fun review thank you.
/giphy heavenly ominous camel
You had me at Syrah… really excited about this - thanks @fritzcat for a great write up - loved the carry over about the bottle weight
A note on both of these wines here:
http://owenbargreen.com/blog/2019/11/27/grd-vintners
Nice pricing it seems. Different vintages but the Grand Klasse cab was solo here for $299 and the GK syrah was solo for $259 not so long ago… fwiw, probably not much
2016 Gård Vintners Syrah Grand Klasse Reserve
I was lucky enough to get to Lab Rat the Syrah. I was excited to get the shipping notice on this one with plenty of time before release. It arrived on Thursday and I had time to let the bottle rest after shipping for a couple days. I had already planned on having NY strip on Sunday, so this seemed like a great chance to pair it.
On opening, the cork had hints of black raspberries, oiled leather and cedar on the nose. It is a deep burgundy color, almost purple.
The syrah had a clean, light mouthfeel, but still full. I got cherries, plum, black raspberry, light tobacco and leather. It finished very clean with just a hint of acid. It had some light tannins and it is definitely dry, but not bone dry.
While drinking with the meal, it had a much more full mouthfeel. It did well with the steak and gnocchi and was a delicious accompaniment. I didn’t get any specific new flavors, but it was definitely a more rounded flavor and was just a solid red wine to pair with steak.
I saved some for the next day and it had the same more rounded mouthfeel as the day before with the steak. There is a slight bit more acidity than when it was first opened, but definitely not in a bad way. The wine drank easily with a meal or without, although I did prefer it with the meal. Overall, this was a great tasting wine that I would eat with red meat, hearty pastas, or just drink over the course of a night while reading a good book. Delicious!
I can’t seem to get the Lab Rats logo to load and am not sure how to add my pic. But it was a beautiful wine and tasted great!
@firstgeer Thank you for reviewing
2016 Gård Vintners Syrah Grand Klasse Reserve
Received the UPS shipping notice before the e-mail on this one, a bottle was on it’s way. No, not the Iron Horse Mag, but a bottle to rat. Delivery was Wednesday and I left the bottle to rest until Friday evening.
2016 Gård Syrah Grand Klasse Reserve Looks like a nice bottle.
Cork was a bear to get out - waiter’s friend corkscrew couldn’t budge it; guess my covid exercise regime has been too focused on lifting full glasses; need to work on wrist strength. Brought out an Ah So and was able to break the seal and get it out. Long, synthetic cork-
Dark, dense purple in the glass, long, long legs that last forever. Heavy, sweet fruit on the nose, pepper and florals. Dense wine, almost chewy mouthfeel, again the legs were some of the longest I’ve seen. Long finish with enough acid to keep your mouth watering and waiting for the next sip. Bad focus on this one but here for color
Black and blue fruits -on the pop, heavy with the garrigue and floral notes (violets maybe)
Big fruits, and peppery smokiness , bacon fat/smoked meats. On Saturday, with heavily spiced beer butt chicken, it paired well enough (which I though a bit strange) and seemed to move further to the savory side. There was still fruit present, but the savory components were in charge.
This wine was a bit tough for me to figure out. Early on, there was a lot of fruit on the nose, on the palate too. But then it really settled in on the savory side of syrah. It was full bodied and mouth filling with good acid. I imagine a smoked brisket or other BBQ would be a killer pairing.
Looks to be a deal with the list price of $50 and a nice mix with the Cab on offer
@mrn1 @chipgreen @boatman72 @marikar
I liked this well enough to want a bottle or two. Together with the Cab, I say it’s a win. Who is in?
@Boatman72 @chipgreen @marikar @pjmartin @lonadoonage I’ve added another NE OH CM fan to this thread…hope no one objects. Count me in, glad to take 2 or 4, however the order breaks down.
@Boatman72 @chipgreen @lonadoonage @marikar @mrn1
OK, I’ll grab the case and we will see how it gets split up. I can handle 2 or 4.
/giphy resilient-eloquent-fog
@Boatman72 @chipgreen @marikar @mrn1 @pjmartin hi, all! I like Syrah more than cab/ cab sauv but am happy to take any combo if there are leftovers; these sound interesting!
@pjmartin Thank you for the report and the pics.
@chipgreen @lonadoonage @marikar @mrn1 @pjmartin @scott0210
Hi All, Welcome to @lonadoonage!
We have a WA State Cab Sauvignon (100 cases produced) and a Syrah (2015 cases produced) and it’s available in OH!! That’s a lot of pluses already! Since this offer is for 2 varietals, I’m thinking 2 btls would mean one of each; 4 btls would mean two of each. So I bought a case and my brother has passed. So since I don’t want a full case and my son is more of an IPA consumer. I’ll put up 2 btls of each to split! (I might even put up 3 bottles of each since my basement is loaded with no more room!). No cherry-picking one varietal!! LOL
@Boatman72 @chipgreen @marikar @mrn1 @pjmartin @scott0210 oh, sure - sorry my ramblings aren’t clear. I was mostly just talking to myself with what I like, but basically I’m flexible. Both sound interesting. If anyone needs me to grab 2 or even 4 I’m in. If everyone has it covered that’s fine as well. I’m sure many others have me beat but I’m up to around 60 bottles piled up (yes, on their side) in my basement and most of the time in a cleveland Covid winter it’s just me drinking them!
@pjmartin Wait, what…“spiced beer butt chicken”? Just sayin’ to me those are strange words to see adjacent to one another. Even after wine.
2016 Gård Grand Klasse Reserve Cabernet
Well, looks like I got the lucky end of the stick, as I was notified about an incoming lab rat bottle and received it the next day. The weather in Texas has been favorable for shipping wine, so I was glad they snuck me in before it turns into 1000 degrees outside and doom for all wine.
Received my bottle on Wednesday, a nice hefty package, the Grand Klasse Cab. Endeavored to open it on Sunday, unfortunately knowing it was going to only be me tasting it (the wife is alas recently pregnant!), but I was up for the task.
Pop and pour - the cork is very lightly stained, it must not have been in bottle long. Smell from the bottle is light fruit, no signs of alcohol or tannin, which I was pleased by - I often find some cabs unapproachable when first opening.
First pour - excellent smell. Dark raspberries, some vanilla, a hint of earthiness / herbiness that I can’t put my finger on. The taste echoes this - a bit of firm tannin on the middle of the palate, but good balance of dark fruit, which I noted as plum and cherries, as well as some cedar and a tinge of what I considered tobacco but could also be smokiness. There’s also some red licorice in there that came and went. The taste is lingering and evolved, picking up some herbiness that I again couldn’t pinpoint, but left me wanting more. This wine is mouthwatering, with excellent mouthfeel and a creaminess that just begs to be drank more. My first glass was gone and I was moving onto the next before I realized it.
I endeavored to wait a little longer for next glasses, leaving the bottle open for a few hours and having a glass with steak kebabs. The wine held well, although the kebabs were probably a bit light for it. The tannins have faded back and some of the taste has become more nuanced, but hasn’t evolved significantly. The wine is very easy to drink. I corked the bottle to save the other half for the next day.
Second day, the wine hasn’t gotten any more exciting, still good, but I probably wouldn’t cellar this wine for more than 5 years or so.
I put this bottle at probably a $35-40 retail price and would have expected it to come in around $20 on casemates. I’m pleasantly surprised to see that I’m pretty spot on. I had originally planned on autobuying a case if it was just the cab (or maybe even a vertical!) but will be thinking about it a bit more now with the Syrah mixed in (I have a lot of Syrah right now!)
@deadlyapp Eh screw it!
/giphy clean feathery pineapple
@deadlyapp Thank you for the review & congrats on your baby on the way
@deadlyapp Thanks for great review. Need to ask: what are those glasses? I don’t need any more glasses but I need those.
@pmarin haha I think they’re just a generic corgi wine glass from Amazon. They were a gift.
@deadlyapp
Split if you ever make it up to Denver?
@deadlyapp That pineapple is a nightmare from French class!!!
Sounds interesting, but of course no shipping to South Dakota. Any of the Minnesota gang buying, and willing to set aside two or four bottles for me?
@coynedj I’d be interested in splitting a case or doing a three way split if there’s anyone else from MN that is interested.
@ampeloquin22 I’d prefer a three-way split if we can pull it off (I don’t really need more wine, ya know), but would take a two-way split if necessary. I used to get to the Twin Cities about once a month, but these days it’s less often, so you’d have to be willing to hold it for a bit.
@coynedj Sorry - I didn’t get your message until this morning.
No Gard for us…
/giphy thin-pompous-rake
Sounds like a good one to stash for a couple years and bring out for a special occasion. In for the four pack, since my cellar runneth over.
/giphy mighty-mushy-mimosa
Couldn’t resist with the reviews and hype of this one!
/giphy salty-horrified-queen
damn you guys
/giphy baffled-lush-friend
Hello! Lisa with Gard here. Happy to answer questions - thanks for your interest!
@gardwine Hi thanks for being available. I know I love wines from this region and already ordered early, so no doubts for me. This is just kind-of for curiosity. But I was wondering about the types of cork/closures you use. This was described by a reviewer as a “long, synthetic cork” that was “a bear to remove.” I will say I’m not a fan of synthetic corks. I actually would definitely prefer a “screw-cap” over a synthetic. Or the old classic kind, though those do add some risk over time.
@gardwine @pmarin the cork didn’t strike me as anything odd and came out fine. It didn’t feel unnaturally long or unusual.
@pmarin Thanks for the love! We have been transitioning many of our wines over to the Vinc corks, which essentially provide a guarantee against cork taint/TCA. In the version used for the 2016 reds, we have had occurrences, albeit rare, that they are tougher to get out of the bottle than a standard cork. Since then, my understanding is that these corks have evolved to not cause that occasional issue - but that probably explains it in the mention by that reviewer. Cheers!
@gardwine As long as we’re talking corks, any thoughts on Porto Protocol?
https://www.portoprotocol.com/case-studies/greencork/
@gardwine @pmarin @deadlyapp
After looking at the Vinc site, I see three of their corks are for “still wines up to three years”, or words to that effect.
That, to me, would seem to imply you wouldn’t suggest aging these any longer.
That, again for me, is a very near term window.
How do you expect these to age gracefully and show improvement?
Do you have any additional labs for these, other than the AbV and pH?
@gardwine @pmarin @rjquillin this would jive with how the wine is drinking now. I don’t think a few years would hurt it but it’s drinking exceptionally well now and didn’t strike me as a wine that needed many additional years.
@deadlyapp @pmarin @rjquillin Sorry - for clarity, this vintage uses Reserva corks from Nomacorc. My apologies on the misstatement. It’s considered their best-in-class closure for premium wines, and have a zero carbon footprint. Tanzer suggests the drinking window for the Cab to be 2020-2028, and 2022-2030 for the Syrah.
@deadlyapp @pmarin @rjquillin Cab pH 3.6, 14.5% alc; Syrah pH 3.85, 14.9% alc.
@gardwine @pmarin @rjquillin thanks for running that down! Time-line on the cab makes sense! Can’t wait to try to syrah now!
Thinking of picking some of these up to stash away. Any other CMH’ers interested in a split?
@cdn1127
By CMH, I assume you mean Columbus, OH. I’m in Dublin and might be interested in 4… or 6.
@clarinetbob Hi - Yes, Columbus / Central Ohio. I am happy to split with you. Anyone else nearby have any interest?
@cdn1127 I will take 4, if available. Thanks. (or 2)
@KNmeh7 @clarinetbob Case ordered. Thanks, and looking forward to it!
/giphy craven-temperate-minotaur
Random: How does one procure casemates glasses? @WCCWineGirl
@pete0744 I second this. Casemates stemless glasses are our go-to, and we only have two of them. If I ever dropped one…
@FritzCat @pete0744 Those glasses might have been a one time only thing.
@pete0744 I have a number of them. I think some came with the first release of the QPR. Others came with some special Casemates coupon deal that was offered over on Meh. I wouldn’t be surprised if some were also included in the initial Kickstarter Launch Party Kits (or whatever they were called). I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a reappearance of them in some future offering.
@pete0744 Great question. I’m going to look into it as I would like some myself.
@pete0744 @FritzCat @ddeuddeg @Mark_L After inquiring, rumor has it they may appear in an upcoming offer this year. Hoping I can narrow that down some.
artistic-quicker-yarn
Anyone up for a San Diego split?
@michaelvella The case price does look better. If you need, I could take a couple, or four.
@rjquillin Was looking for a full split (as it were) or by 3. Let’s see if anyone else chimes in by tomorrow.
@michaelvella , I can do four. Much better than the 4-pack price.
@accs @rjquillin Where do you guys live? I’m in the city.
@accs @michaelvella @rjquillin I’m happy to take the other two bottles if Ron wanted to go with a 1+1. I’m way too full to store anything else.
@accs @michaelvella @radiolysis
Not nearly as full as you will be as soon as I get yours dug out and delivered.
1+1 is welcomed, also due to storage.
@rjquillin
i should look at the spreadsheet. I know i have a few due, but nothing overwhelming… i’m scared. ha.
@rjquillin Okay. Yeah. I’m good with all of that. I also have ~8 that go back to you (4x Gersing Vamp Syrah, 2x 2016 Anne Amie Riesling, 2x 2017 Anne Amie Riesling). So that won’t be a huge net gain for me.
@michaelvella @radiolysis @accs
This happen?
@accs @radiolysis @rjquillin No, sorry - I got pulled into a sev one outage before I could pull the trigger. One of my customer’s had a site down. Drinking Bookers to calm my nerves now…
@michaelvella @radiolysis @rjquillin
The good news is that the space I would have used for this I can use on the Pedroncelli 
Oh well
@accs @michaelvella @radiolysis
What’s a sev one outage?
Agree, it would have been nice to sample, but,
space is the limiting factor.
[edit] ddg search to the rescue of a sev one.
Tanzer seemed to like both of these wines.
Anyone in NYC want to split?
anyone in Austin TX for a split?
Gard is an auto-buy in this house! Prefer the Cab over the Syrah, but excited about both…in for a case…
frosted-jagged-bike
@Allieroon Awesome - cheers!
VAN MURALS! GROUND SQUIRRELS! SPIT CURLS! AWESOME!
@gardwine OMG…just popped a cork of your Grande Klasse Cab paired with a homemade pizza topped with local artisan Linguica, grilled sweet onion, sautéed shiitakes, fresh oregano & rosemary, and finished with a decades aged reduced balsamic Italian vinegar. Talk about mind blowing! I need my very own bottle with this meal…not sharing!
Thank your for making such beautiful wines!
Cheers!
/giphy fittest-miserable-dill
Lawrence Vineyards has long been a favorite. In for a case.
@wnance Cheers! Thanks for the love!
@gardwine Had a profound experience with a 2009 Southard Syrah Lawrence Vineyard back in 2016. Lots of Southard and more recently Gård wines since then.
@wnance Fantastic - Southard makes great wine, and the winemaker Scott Southard is also our cousin.
We love Gard…but no shipping to Indiana??? Boo.
@jsr914 Agreed! Wish this shipped to Indiana.
@danidani12 @jsr914 I’m in Chicago if you want to drive up.
Thanks @pete0744. We don’t get up that way very often but greatly appreciate the offer!
@jsr914 @pete0744 Same … especially with the virus, but thank you for the offer! Hopefully sometime in the future.
/giphy gaudy-drowsy-death
Dark fruits indeed.
OMG. I was pulling the trigger assuming Kansas was ok but no shipping to Kansas.
I’m in Kansas also, very disappointed.
I can’t believe I missed this, too!