TN 2000 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
I opened this to go with grilled flank steak. Did not decant, but should have for an hour or so. Dark, almost inky purple in the glass. Restrained at first but a solid well made wine. I figured I had just let it sit too long in the cellar. However an hour later it really opened up. Dark fruits and cassis, a little leather and coffee. The tannins have really softened since the last time I opened one 5 years ago. The next day the wine was still singing. Restrained to be sure, but still had lots of fruit and had softened a bit, but very enjoyable, especially sitting watching Strasburg's debut on TV. I'd suggest drinking them now, but I figure they will still go another year or two.
By dinwiddie
on Jun 9, 2010 05:25 AM
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Have you tasted other vintages of KL Cab? How does this vintage compare? 2000 was a notoriously bad harvest here in Napa Valley. (We make jokes about it.) However, not all wineries suffered the ill effects of that wet harvest -- perhaps KL is one of them. I hope Whiner weighs in on the 2000 KL vintage as well; I know he's a fan of this winery.
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I've tasted all the KL Napas from 1997 through 2005 and the 2000 is the weakest of the lot, which says loads for Karl Lawrence. While I've had some awful 2000 CA Cabs, this one was very good.
Whiner is a great fan of Karl Lawrence, and having shared many a bottle of wine with him when he lived here in DC, I have a lot of respect for his palate. Of course, he tends to drink the Karl Lawrence single vineyard designates, which I very carefully don't buy least I get hooked and my wife divorces me for spending that much money on a single bottle of wine.
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That Whiner. Thanks for the reply, dinwiddie. I enjoy your posts.
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:-)
I've had the '00 but not in a few years. KL only produces the SVDs in some years and in others blends that would-be juice into the master blend, such as in '00.
I do think it is, for me, the most reliable $50 CA Cab on the market and has been for some time. But I have no specific thoughts on the '00.
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