A fantastic producer of terroir-driven Washington red and white wines from the Royal Slope, Gård Vintners was founded by brothers Sandy and John Lawrence, who have farmed the Royal Slope for more than 50 years, along with John’s son Josh, who joined the operation in 2002. The winery is managed by Josh and his wife, Lisa, who oversees sales and marketing, while Josh oversees the vineyard and other farm and orchard operations. Currently Josh, Lisa and a host of others are petitioning to have the Royal Slope region become its own AVA as the wines from this terroir are quite different than those from nearby Wahluke Slope and other regions. Gård Vintners relies on the winemaking talents of Aryn Morell for their wines who has been at the helm since 2011. Aryn has a very methodical, scientific approach to his winemaking, as each wine has a beginning, middle and an end. He crafts some of the most consistently good wines in the state.
I loved the new lineup for Gård Vintners across the board. Aryn has developed a sterling reputation for his Rose wines and his new 2019 Gård Vintners ‘Grand Klasse’ Rose (WWB, 91) shows wonderful texture and really good range as well. I loved his 2017 Gård Vintners ‘Vaucluse’ Red Wine (WWB, 92) which is a classy wine at a great price, showing awesome terroir and smoky tones. Learn more about these great wines at gardvintners.com Here are the beautiful new wines by Gård Vintners.
2019 Gård Vintners ‘Grand Klasse’ Rose- The 2019 ‘Grand Klasse’ Rose delivers downright awesome rose water, melon and mineral tones on the palate. Beautifully textured with great tension and earthy undertones, this highly nuanced Rose will be best enjoyed over the next several years. Drink 2020-2023- 91
2019 Gård Vintners ‘Freyja’ White Wine- The 2019 ‘Freyja’ shows pretty honeysuckle tones that connect with shades of pear and nectarine rind and gooseberry on this expressive nose. The freshness is great, as is the silky texture that delivers bright peach and green apple flavors with vanilla cream accents. Enjoy this in its youth while the bright veil of tension remains. Drink 2020-2024- 91
2017 Gård Vintners ‘Vaucluse’ Red Wine- The ‘Vaucluse’ shows pretty thyme and lavender tones that combine with the bright red fruits, citrus rind and bulls blood tones on the nose. The palate is seriously good, with downright awesome range from citrus rind and smoke to Hoisin sauce and floral tones with smoky accents. Drink 2020-2027- 92
2017 Gård Vintners ‘The Don’ Red Wine- ‘The Don’ is a great value wine that shows great balance with medium-bodied chocolate and black fruit tones, with a light salinity. Forward and delicious, enjoy this in the short-term. Drink 2020-2025- 90
2017 Gård Vintners ‘Winemaker’s Select’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Sourced from the Lawrence Vineyard, the ‘Winemaker’s Select’ Cabernet Sauvignon delivers heady blackberry compote and mocha tones with sagebrush accents on the nose. The palate offers good freshness with a seamless texture. Medium to full bodied dark fruits alongside refined tannins line this great new wine that will cellar well for a decade or more to come. Drink 2020-2032- 92