Laura Michael Wines Laura’s Theme Dessert Wine, Calistoga, 500ml
Tasting Notes
This sweet dessert wine is a blend of 50% Estate-grown Zinfandel and 50% Calistoga Petite Sirah. A bit lighter on the palate, not super sticky and sweet; just the right choice to pair with dark chocolate or baked fruit tarts. There’s a touch of spice and mint on the palate as well. It is a fortified wine coming in at 18.5% alcohol. Once opened, it will last about a month due to the lower alcohol.
This is a NV blend of 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 vintages. The distillate was made from Pinot Noir, aged 5 years. All neutral, American oak. Aged between 3 and 6 years, bottled in the summer of 2016.
Specs
Varietal Blend: 50% Estate Grown Zinfandel, 50% Calistoga Petite Sirah
Appellation: Calistoga
Alcohol: 18.5%
RS: 8%
TA: 5.5
pH: 3.63
Production: 592 Cases
What’s Included
4-bottles:
4x Laura Michael Wines Laura’s Theme Dessert Wine, Calistoga, 500ml Case:
12x Laura Michael Wines Laura’s Theme Dessert Wine, Calistoga, 500ml
Laura and Michael Swanton know the many challenges of establishing a boutique winery dedicated to crafting small quantities of fine wine in the Napa Valley. They have experienced them all in their demanding, yet delicious, journey from fledgling winery to award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel producers.
A long-time wine enthusiast, Owner and Proprietor Laura Swanton purchased the Calistoga winery estate that would become Laura Michael Wines from the Traulsen family in 1999. At the time, Laura was a sales specialist with Cisco Systems in San Jose. It was a career that required intimate knowledge of high-tech product application. Knowing how the technology worked was critical to her success in selling the product.
At the time Laura purchased the winery, Michael had embarked on an independent career in power generation and services, a career that spanned nearly two decades. When they came together in 2006, their current journey started and continues to this day.
Today, their tenacity for learning systems and science is directed at running their small winery and vineyard estate dedicated to limited-production, premium red wines. Since 1999, Laura has managed all winemaking processes from grape sourcing to the logistics of launching and operating a winery. Her zeal to understand winegrowing at its root has her pruning, picking, irrigating, and collecting samples in the vineyard. A thirst for winemaking knowledge encourages her participation in crushing, pump-overs, racking, and bottling.
“We do it all,” says Laura. “It’s so important that we work alongside every member of our team, from the temporary harvest help to our consulting winemaker. We are not ones to stand on the sidelines, and fortunately, because we are as small as we are, we can be actively involved in every aspect of this business.”
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Order in for 4. How much can still be left? If not a lot, could be a S O. Higher cost than a few years ago, so noted. But, why not? Storage costs money.
@klezman
did we do a 4+4+4 split with @connorbush on that last offer, or did it end up being something else. Never entered any for me in CT and don’t remember.
Yes, this is the same as the last offer. The short story is that we made a boatload of this so it’s been in our line up since 2016. The wine isn’t showing any unpleasant oxidation and continues to please after nearly 10 years in the bottle. LMK if you want the long story!
@connorbush@rjquillin looks like I have 3, assuming this was a 2023 offer. We had a bottle we really enjoyed so could take a couple more if that’d help somebody out.
Laura Michael Wines “Laura’s Theme” Red Dessert Wine (NV)
This is a dessert wine that could be the dessert itself!
This wine is one to savor, with tantalizing aromas, a silky palate, a mixture of bold fruit flavors and spices, and a finish that doesn’t quit. As I write this review, I am still tasting it.
It was deep ruby in the glass, with magenta rims and cloying legs that descended meditatively.
The initial pour wafted menthol and blackberry preserves. There were spice notes and chocolate aromas as well. After we had left it open for some time, it was more integrated, and the chocolate was mixed with brown sugar and fresh pipe tobacco.
The palate was a lovely blend of intense raspberry jam sweetness, a base of dark fruits, and an intriguing orange marmalade. The Zinfandel contributed a tart cherry “zip” on the front end, but these rich fruits were balanced by cloves, licorice, and milk chocolate, with a hint of earth, closing with orange peel.
We sampled this wine with Black Forest cake adorned with whipped cream, raspberry compote, and chocolate curls, and the wine complemented the chocolate sponge perfectly.
As this is our first tasting of a Laura Michael wine, we were thankful for the ability to sample this textured, port-like dessert wine. Many thanks for the opportunity to rat this lovely wine!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
NV Laura Michael Wines Laura’s Theme Dessert Wine - $50 = 15.15%
Ohhhh…I’ma get me some…
Found 2 right on top of one shelf of my Port stash.
Should I Coravin one to send me over the edge this morning?
You know, @ 15% tariff, 4 isn’t a bad price, but if I split a case with my Casemate, the other two bottles are $15 each, which, for a Port…for a Laura Michael…
If you’re having the same conversation with yourself, let me know.
Glad to see so much enthusiasm for this red dessert wine. Given the time of year, Michael’s favorite pairing is with Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies so stock up! I lean towards salty/sweet so break out a cheese plate. It’s a great compliment to baked fruit tarts, or grilled peaches with honey and bleu cheese.
Gotta love the Lab Rat Report - right on!
@lauramichaelnv Thank you! It was fun to have a tasting challenge in a dessert wine. I live near the Niagara bench and just next to the Finger Lakes in NY, and only a few of the local ice wines are as complex as this. I think the age is an asset!
I got a request for the long story on why we made 672 cases of our Laura’s Theme Red Dessert Wine so here it is!
Up to and including 2013 we had made an annual Laura’s Theme and bottled them as vintage wine. In 2010 I purchased some new grappa to use as the distillate for our dessert wine (I wish I could write “port” but since I’m sitting Calistoga, dessert wine it is!) Our vintages are blends of estate zinfandel and petite sirah grapes purchased from Don Meyer in north Calistoga. We made 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and hadn’t bottled any of it since we were still selling the 2009 vintage. Them time came for us to evaluate the 2010 vintage for bottling, and admittedly, I hadn’t tasted it in a while since we didn’t need it. Upon first taste, the words “spearmint gum” immediately flooded my mind and palate, and not in a pleasant way. Thinking WTH, I then sampled the 2011 (spearmint gum), 2012 (SG) and the 2013 (SG) - OMG what had we done? Well, after many discussions with my consulting winemaker and the producer of the grappa, we discovered that the pinot noir grapes used to make the grappa were sourced from a vineyard abutting a eucalyptus grove. Those trees emit an oil into the soil that can be picked up by neighboring plants, a very minty oil. You couldn’t taste the mint in the grappa, but once married with the wine, after time, voila - spearmint became the predominate flavor. I was saddled with 11 barrels of this wine as all four vintages had been dosed with it. Not wanting to bottle it in that condition (unsellable, in my opinion), we elected to blend it all together and fix it all at once. New oak staves (called chains) were lowered into each barrel and acted like sponges to soak up the spearmint. After 9 months, we had the wine that you are purchasing today. Maybe a hint of mint, which the Lab Rats didn’t pick up this time, but if you follow my husband’s lead, sip some with Thin Mint cookies and it will show up a bit.
When life gives you eucalyptus, use oak staves and make a better Dessert Wine!!!
@lauramichaelnv interesting backstory, thank you for sharing! Are you able to comment on this offering being 40% more expensive than the Dec 2023 offering for the case?
@lauramichaelnv@Mark_L@rjquillin excellent sorry, thank you! I love that eucalyptus/mint hint in dry wines but I can imagine it being overwhelming. A great and innovative solution to the problem!
I’m getting a couple questions about this offer being more expensive than last time. Gotta say, it’s really hard for us small producers right now and for the wine industry in general. Your guys have been good to us over the years, and we really appreciate your business. As my wine continues to gracefully age, the price to store it also continues to rise. I work closely with Casemates to try to balance what we can afford to sell and what the leaders of Casemates feel they can be successful in offering. It’s a balancing act that continues to be challenged by a lack of visitation in Napa Valley and in other wine regions of CA. Once bottled in 2016, we opted to leave a couple pallets unlabeled and needed, in 2025 to label that wine so I had to pay for a new label run and the labor to apply the labels. These costs got baked into this offer a bit.
I’m going to get on my soapbox for a minute and draw your attention to an outrageously difficult pill to swallow as a very small producer. 2024 and 2025 saw hundreds of thousands of tons of grapes go unpicked in CA. The State of CA is recommending that thousands of acres be pulled out to “balance” the overproduction of grapes. Growers are hurting badly and it’s not all their fault. The Federal Government permits foreign bulk wine to be shipped into the US tariff free and at an excise tax level lower than what we have to pay for domestic production. This bulk foreign wine is incorporated into American wine and is then labeled as American wine. Up to 25% of bulk foreign wine can be put into the bottle without any notification given to the consumer. Turns out that the amount of bulk foreign wine being imported into the US is about equivalent to what growers had to leave hanging on the vine or pull out. It’s damn near criminal that our Federal Government continues to destroy the farmers and crops that can produce some of the finest California wines in the world.
It’s not just a promotional gimmick to plead with the American public to buy from small businesses and small producers. We are continually put at a disadvantage by the favoritism (call it a lobby) that puts American interests and business behind the financial calling and leverage of the largest wine businesses in the world. They are all crying over lost revenue so they are jacking up their tasting fees in the interest of the “experience” leaving so many visitors in the dust. It’s quite maddening with no real relief in sight.
Thank you for continuing to support the efforts of Casemates to get some of my wine into your hands. I hope you will consider coming to visit us in Calistoga this year and in the years to follow! Cheers to 2026 and thanks for listening.
And just in case you are wondering about our “experience” - Michael and I work our own tasting room 5 days a week, sometimes 7 days a week so our tasting experience is owner led. For $25 you get to taste 5 of our wines and that fee is comp’d with a two bottle purchase of wine. Crazy, right? Plus there’s always a couple of pups around to keep the mood light. Hope to see you soon!
@lauramichaelnv
I recall posting an article here that rather extensively discussed this; some time last year.
It’s, imo, outrageous.
If you have any more recent discussions you could put up or link up to drive home the point, please do.
The average consumer has no idea whatsoever.
@lauramichaelnv Two points: First: As an average consumer, I’m thrilled that you make a superior product. And, your cooperation with Casemates and the price you are able to give us is much appreciated. And, the fact that your past prices were even better makes me pleased that I bought last time too. Point two: It’s hard to run a small business, and it’s unfortunate that our government isn’t and hasn’t been supportive of our farmers. Third: I wish you all the best, and hope that you can continue to successfully do what you do so well.
Thanks for all the comments, I’m trying to find the reference article about the points I made above, not sure I can put it all together before this offer expires and you move on to the next. I will update once I locate the article - either Wine Business Monthly or a different source, Michael may be able to find it again.
@lauramichaelnv Your tastings are below what most Oregon wineries charge, where I live… You are an example of why I buy here instead of other places. Your wines are amazing as well as your participation. Thank you.
Laura Michael Wines Laura’s Theme Dessert Wine, Calistoga, 500ml
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $540/case MSRP
About The Wineries
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Feb 5 - Monday, Feb 9
NV Laura Michael Wines Laura’s Theme Dessert Wine
4 bottles for $109.99 $27.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $279.99 $23.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Previous offer:
12/25/23
Order in for 4. How much can still be left? If not a lot, could be a S O. Higher cost than a few years ago, so noted. But, why not? Storage costs money.
Is this the same batch as the prior offer or a new batch?
@klezman it is same batch, at least the write-ups are identical
@klezman
did we do a 4+4+4 split with @connorbush on that last offer, or did it end up being something else. Never entered any for me in CT and don’t remember.
@klezman
Yes, this is the same as the last offer. The short story is that we made a boatload of this so it’s been in our line up since 2016. The wine isn’t showing any unpleasant oxidation and continues to please after nearly 10 years in the bottle. LMK if you want the long story!
@connorbush @rjquillin looks like I have 3, assuming this was a 2023 offer. We had a bottle we really enjoyed so could take a couple more if that’d help somebody out.
@klezman @lauramichaelnv
Absolutely want the epic adventure
@connorbush @klezman
So the split was 3+3+?+?
You and Connor got three each, not four?
@connorbush @rjquillin notes from the prior offer say Connor took 6 and I took 3.
@klezman @rjquillin I was CES ing and missed it
There are a few people on here that routinely ask, beg, and remind WD that they want an offer of sweet/dessert wine.
I don’t recall their specific usernames, but I hope they are paying attention because this offer has their name all over it.
/giphy sweet-wet-water
Laura Michael Wines “Laura’s Theme” Red Dessert Wine (NV)
This is a dessert wine that could be the dessert itself!
This wine is one to savor, with tantalizing aromas, a silky palate, a mixture of bold fruit flavors and spices, and a finish that doesn’t quit. As I write this review, I am still tasting it.
It was deep ruby in the glass, with magenta rims and cloying legs that descended meditatively.
The initial pour wafted menthol and blackberry preserves. There were spice notes and chocolate aromas as well. After we had left it open for some time, it was more integrated, and the chocolate was mixed with brown sugar and fresh pipe tobacco.
The palate was a lovely blend of intense raspberry jam sweetness, a base of dark fruits, and an intriguing orange marmalade. The Zinfandel contributed a tart cherry “zip” on the front end, but these rich fruits were balanced by cloves, licorice, and milk chocolate, with a hint of earth, closing with orange peel.
We sampled this wine with Black Forest cake adorned with whipped cream, raspberry compote, and chocolate curls, and the wine complemented the chocolate sponge perfectly.
As this is our first tasting of a Laura Michael wine, we were thankful for the ability to sample this textured, port-like dessert wine. Many thanks for the opportunity to rat this lovely wine!
In for 4. No room for 12 and need to use that Meh coupon before I forget about it again.
@Springbank
/giphy papery-nonchalant-winter
@Springbank Wasn’t that only good in 2025?
@ejrunion The one for the Bottled Cheer is good until the end of 2026.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
NV Laura Michael Wines Laura’s Theme Dessert Wine - $50 = 15.15%
This is a lovely port like dessert wine-highly recommend
Ohhhh…I’ma get me some…
Found 2 right on top of one shelf of my Port stash.
Should I Coravin one to send me over the edge this morning?
You know, @ 15% tariff, 4 isn’t a bad price, but if I split a case with my Casemate, the other two bottles are $15 each, which, for a Port…for a Laura Michael…
If you’re having the same conversation with yourself, let me know.
@FritzCat Casemate and I are in for a case.
Glad to see so much enthusiasm for this red dessert wine. Given the time of year, Michael’s favorite pairing is with Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies so stock up! I lean towards salty/sweet so break out a cheese plate. It’s a great compliment to baked fruit tarts, or grilled peaches with honey and bleu cheese.
Gotta love the Lab Rat Report - right on!
@lauramichaelnv Thank you! It was fun to have a tasting challenge in a dessert wine. I live near the Niagara bench and just next to the Finger Lakes in NY, and only a few of the local ice wines are as complex as this. I think the age is an asset!
/giphy gigantic-very-titanium
This appears to have been offered for $200 for the case back in Dec 2023
I got a request for the long story on why we made 672 cases of our Laura’s Theme Red Dessert Wine so here it is!
Up to and including 2013 we had made an annual Laura’s Theme and bottled them as vintage wine. In 2010 I purchased some new grappa to use as the distillate for our dessert wine (I wish I could write “port” but since I’m sitting Calistoga, dessert wine it is!) Our vintages are blends of estate zinfandel and petite sirah grapes purchased from Don Meyer in north Calistoga. We made 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and hadn’t bottled any of it since we were still selling the 2009 vintage. Them time came for us to evaluate the 2010 vintage for bottling, and admittedly, I hadn’t tasted it in a while since we didn’t need it. Upon first taste, the words “spearmint gum” immediately flooded my mind and palate, and not in a pleasant way. Thinking WTH, I then sampled the 2011 (spearmint gum), 2012 (SG) and the 2013 (SG) - OMG what had we done? Well, after many discussions with my consulting winemaker and the producer of the grappa, we discovered that the pinot noir grapes used to make the grappa were sourced from a vineyard abutting a eucalyptus grove. Those trees emit an oil into the soil that can be picked up by neighboring plants, a very minty oil. You couldn’t taste the mint in the grappa, but once married with the wine, after time, voila - spearmint became the predominate flavor. I was saddled with 11 barrels of this wine as all four vintages had been dosed with it. Not wanting to bottle it in that condition (unsellable, in my opinion), we elected to blend it all together and fix it all at once. New oak staves (called chains) were lowered into each barrel and acted like sponges to soak up the spearmint. After 9 months, we had the wine that you are purchasing today. Maybe a hint of mint, which the Lab Rats didn’t pick up this time, but if you follow my husband’s lead, sip some with Thin Mint cookies and it will show up a bit.
When life gives you eucalyptus, use oak staves and make a better Dessert Wine!!!
@lauramichaelnv So, just to be clear. This is the same delicious wine that we bought on Casemates in Dec. of '23?
@lauramichaelnv Wow. That’s fascinating!
@lauramichaelnv
I wonder how many will catch “the rest of the story” reference.
Thanks for it!
@lauramichaelnv @rjquillin Perhaps those familiar with a giant invisible rabbit?
@FritzCat Yes, it is.
@lauramichaelnv interesting backstory, thank you for sharing! Are you able to comment on this offering being 40% more expensive than the Dec 2023 offering for the case?
@lauramichaelnv @Mark_L
Or perhaps Paul
@rjquillin I know – I was making a play on the name “Harvey”.
@br3wski3 @lauramichaelnv inflation, and aged longer? Aging costs money.
@lauramichaelnv @Mark_L @rjquillin excellent sorry, thank you! I love that eucalyptus/mint hint in dry wines but I can imagine it being overwhelming. A great and innovative solution to the problem!
I’m getting a couple questions about this offer being more expensive than last time. Gotta say, it’s really hard for us small producers right now and for the wine industry in general. Your guys have been good to us over the years, and we really appreciate your business. As my wine continues to gracefully age, the price to store it also continues to rise. I work closely with Casemates to try to balance what we can afford to sell and what the leaders of Casemates feel they can be successful in offering. It’s a balancing act that continues to be challenged by a lack of visitation in Napa Valley and in other wine regions of CA. Once bottled in 2016, we opted to leave a couple pallets unlabeled and needed, in 2025 to label that wine so I had to pay for a new label run and the labor to apply the labels. These costs got baked into this offer a bit.
I’m going to get on my soapbox for a minute and draw your attention to an outrageously difficult pill to swallow as a very small producer. 2024 and 2025 saw hundreds of thousands of tons of grapes go unpicked in CA. The State of CA is recommending that thousands of acres be pulled out to “balance” the overproduction of grapes. Growers are hurting badly and it’s not all their fault. The Federal Government permits foreign bulk wine to be shipped into the US tariff free and at an excise tax level lower than what we have to pay for domestic production. This bulk foreign wine is incorporated into American wine and is then labeled as American wine. Up to 25% of bulk foreign wine can be put into the bottle without any notification given to the consumer. Turns out that the amount of bulk foreign wine being imported into the US is about equivalent to what growers had to leave hanging on the vine or pull out. It’s damn near criminal that our Federal Government continues to destroy the farmers and crops that can produce some of the finest California wines in the world.
It’s not just a promotional gimmick to plead with the American public to buy from small businesses and small producers. We are continually put at a disadvantage by the favoritism (call it a lobby) that puts American interests and business behind the financial calling and leverage of the largest wine businesses in the world. They are all crying over lost revenue so they are jacking up their tasting fees in the interest of the “experience” leaving so many visitors in the dust. It’s quite maddening with no real relief in sight.
Thank you for continuing to support the efforts of Casemates to get some of my wine into your hands. I hope you will consider coming to visit us in Calistoga this year and in the years to follow! Cheers to 2026 and thanks for listening.
And just in case you are wondering about our “experience” - Michael and I work our own tasting room 5 days a week, sometimes 7 days a week so our tasting experience is owner led. For $25 you get to taste 5 of our wines and that fee is comp’d with a two bottle purchase of wine. Crazy, right? Plus there’s always a couple of pups around to keep the mood light. Hope to see you soon!
@lauramichaelnv
I recall posting an article here that rather extensively discussed this; some time last year.
It’s, imo, outrageous.
If you have any more recent discussions you could put up or link up to drive home the point, please do.
The average consumer has no idea whatsoever.
Thanks Laura
@lauramichaelnv Two points: First: As an average consumer, I’m thrilled that you make a superior product. And, your cooperation with Casemates and the price you are able to give us is much appreciated. And, the fact that your past prices were even better makes me pleased that I bought last time too. Point two: It’s hard to run a small business, and it’s unfortunate that our government isn’t and hasn’t been supportive of our farmers. Third: I wish you all the best, and hope that you can continue to successfully do what you do so well.
@lauramichaelnv thank you - decided to dive in for a case and then read this additional post from you and now I’m even more glad that I did
Thanks for all the comments, I’m trying to find the reference article about the points I made above, not sure I can put it all together before this offer expires and you move on to the next. I will update once I locate the article - either Wine Business Monthly or a different source, Michael may be able to find it again.
@lauramichaelnv Your tastings are below what most Oregon wineries charge, where I live… You are an example of why I buy here instead of other places. Your wines are amazing as well as your participation. Thank you.