The second Gård Vintners wine I had the pleasure to taste and review.
Gård Vintners is a family owned and operated winery. "Gård" means "farm" in many Scandinavian languages and is a tribute to the owners Scandinavian heritage and farming tradition. The Lawrence family, founders of Gård Vintners, have farmed the Royal Slope in Washington's Columbia Valley for over 45 years. Brothers Hervey "Sandy" Lawrence and John Lawrence, along with John's son Josh Lawrence, launched Gård Vintners, a product of Lawrence Cellars, in 2006.
The 2011 Don Isidro Red Wine was named after vineyard manager, Isidro Mondragon.
Tasting Notes Gård Vintners 2011 Don Isidro Red Wine Columbia Valley
Color: Garnet, very pretty in the sunlight.
Nose: Smoky, meaty, graphite, red fruit, tobacco, chocolate, spice.
Palate: Plum and cherry at opening with bright edges, dry, pleasant with a modest strawberry, cherry finish. 20 minutes after opening I enjoyed this wine with roasted rib-eye; it was a good match, the steak brought out noticeable pepper and chocolate, the acid and tannin on the wine made the experience pleasurable.
After 3 hours this wine was dark, with sage, fresh brewed coffee, red currant and spice on the nose. It showed, that is, it showed-off with a rich mouth feel, an excellent fluid quality, savory umami, delicious dark fruit and licorice on the finish - big like.
Day two: Don Isidro still delivered the flavor, blackberry, cherry, licorice, coffee, dry with a touch more obvious acidity and lovely Bing cherry flesh on the lingering finish. I would pair with tender roast or beef Carpaccio.
Thoughts: If you are looking for a food friendly wine, this is the wine you want. You don't have to wait too long to drink it either. At opening it is a lighter bodied red wine, a true Washington table wine which will not dominate your meals, rather it will compliment them. If you are looking for a wine to cellar for a few years this is one to add to the list. I would like to mention that I like the look of the label. It is clean, easy to read with a bold character I enjoy looking at. Recommended.
AVA: Columbia Valley
Vineyard: Lawrence Vineyards
Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon 46%, Syrah 46%, Merlot 8%
Closure: Natural cork
ABV: 14.4%
Production: 740 cases
SRP: $22
Sample provided by winery
Lawrence Vineyards is located in the Columbia Valley on Frenchman Hills at elevations of 1,365 - 1,675 feet. A southern facing slope provides ideal growing conditions. This vintage is composed of Block 8 Cab Cl. 6, Block 4 Syrah Sara Lee, Block 11 Merlot Cl. 15.
Gård Vintners
13000 Road D. SW
Royal City, WA 99357
509-346-2585
www.GardVintners.com
@GardVintners
My Thanks to Gård Vintners for sharing this lovely wine.
I look forward to reviewing more by Gård Vintners soon.
Related post: Review - Gård Vintners 2010 Syrah
Cheers!