2022 Thunderstone
Tasting notes
FRUIT: Dried figs, acai, blackberry confiture
EARTH: Black olive, tapenade, green peppercorn, cigar box
FLAVORS: Ripe blackberries, balsamic, mocha,
PERSONALITY: Exuberant, gamey, decadent
CELLAR: Enjoy now or in the next 15 years
Whole cluster fermented and aged in new and neutral French oak puncheons for 18 months.
A reference to the shape of this vineyard site, thunderstones are ancient artifacts, oftentimes arrowheads, turned up in the soil from farmers' plows and regarded in folklore as having been cast to the earth from thunderbolts. In Scandinavia thunderstones were frequently worshiped as family gods who kept off spells and witchcraft.
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Varietal Composition | 100% Syrah |
| Appellation | Royal Slope |
| Vineyard | Thunderstone |
| Designation | Lawrence Vineyards |
| Alcohol | 15.40% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Cases Produced | 158 |
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.
MATÍAS KÚSULAS
Winemaker & Viticulturist
A Chilean with Greek roots, Matías was a Marine officer and Naval Engineer in Chile for more than seven years when he realized that it was time to change the course of his career: In 2005, he started studying Agricultural Engineering at the University of Chile, where he graduated with distinction and a major in Viticulture and Enology. He worked in Chile for a few years and in 2011 he decided to start traveling the world on a quest to learn new wine-making techniques. After several harvests in Oceania, Europe and Africa, he settled down in France, to do his post degrees at the Universities of Bordeaux and Montpellier. He also performed for two years as a Maître de Chai for one of the oldest and most reputable wineries in Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie.
After years of traveling and over 15 harvests, he came to the United States and joined Gård Vintners/Lawrence Vineyards as a Production Winemaker and Viticulturist, and is currently head winemaker for Gård Vintners, Desert Wind Winery, Valo Cellars, and his own label, Massalto. In his spare time he likes to jump out of planes and is a Judo Black Belt.
