2016 Syrah Grand Klasse Reserve
Price: $50
Founder's & Collector's Clubs: $37.50
Case Club: $40
Connoisseur's Club: $42.50
Barrel select release of 100% Syrah qualifying for the Grand Klasse line of Gård wines.
91pts - Robert Parker/ Wine Advocate
Intense floral blue fruits, hardwood smoke, bacon fat and garrigue.
Notes from winemaker Aryn Morell:
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.
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.
This wine is produced Vegan.
Inspired by the French Grand Cru wines, Gard “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.
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Varietal | Syrah |
| Varietal Composition | 100% Syrah |
| Appellation | Royal Slope |
| Vineyard | Scarline Vineyard |
| Designation | Lawrence Vineyards |
| PH | 3.85 |
| Aging | 75% new French oak 500L’s |
| Alcohol | 14.90% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Cases Produced | 215 |
91pts - Robert Parker/ Wine Advocate
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 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.
Winemaker Aryn Morell, a Washington native, honed his skills in Napa Valley working with some of the country’s most notable producers, including Silver Oak, Joseph Phelps, Quintessa, Husic, Chimney Rock, Chappellet, Stags Leap and countless others in winemaking and the chemical engineering of wine as part of a consulting company for which he worked.
Aryn joined the Gard team as head winemaker in 2011, and spends considerable time in the winery’s estate vineyard with Josh Lawrence, Gard founder and viticulturist. With an uncompromising attention to detail, Aryn carefully crafts Gard wines with an eye toward the unique expression of terroir of the estate vineyard, and earns frequent accolades and high acclaim for his wines.
In 2014, Aryn and Gard founders Josh and Lisa Lawrence launched a winemaking facility in Walla Walla, M&L Production, where all the Gård wines are produced, bottled and aged. Aryn also makes wine for Matthews Estate, Tenor, Alleromb and Mullan Road, a Washington project for Cakebread Cellars of California.
