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Girard offers two private by appointment sit down tastings in the VIP lounge. Both tastings include current releases as well as select limited release and library wines - one tasting is paired with a variety of cheeses and charcuteries. Serious wine enthusiasts can make an appointment well in advance to visit their actual winemaking facility. As with the town of Napa, Yountville has seen a serious increase in tasting facilities and several additional tasting rooms are within walking distance of Girard. Pat Roney is the current owner and he has a strong background in the wine industry as past President of several Sonoma Valley Wineries & the famed wine shop, Dean & Deluca. He is also a partner in the well-received custom crush facility south of Napa called, Bin to Bottle. Girard winery is all about the wines. Their motto could easily be "high quality wines at affordable prices" - this is very true. Their wines have great mouth feel, big aromatics and are reasonably priced. As of press time, Girard uses native yeasts to kick off the fermentations for all their wines with the exception being their Sauvignon Blanc which is inoculated with commercial yeasts. We tried the 2007 vintage - this by the way is also the only filtered wine in their lineup. It sees only tank (no barrel), it is a bright wine that is crisp and refreshing with aromas of guava and grapefruit with the citrus characteristics carrying over to the palate. Think a full malolactic fermented Chardonnay always produces a wine that is buttery. Not so. This wine uses a type of yeast that doesn't create huge amounts of diacetyl, the by product of fermentation that brings the "buttery" characteristics to Chardonnay. As a result, this wine is crisper than you would expect, with a soft mouth feel with a lingering finish full of toasted almond and other nice nutty characteristics. There is lots of fruit in this wine on the front and mid palate. A wine of note is their 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel. This is 77% Zinfandel (some vines up to 100 years old) with 23% being a mix of Rhone Varietals. We've long wondered which vineyard is the highest one in Napa County. Look no further - the Blue Ridge Vineyard which provides some of the Zinfandel fruit for this wine is Napa County's highest vineyard at about 2700 feet in the isolated region on the slopes of Mt. Vaca. There are some high vineyards in the Howell Mountain appellation but certainly none as high as this one! This is a more refined elegant Zinfandel not a huge fruit bomb overly spicy Zinfandel that we've certainly tried from other producers. Girard is best known for their Artistry blend which incorporates the five main Bordeaux varietals. Aside from the great aromatics and appealing fruit characteristics on the palate, the price has always been attractive. Want their "cult wine" - try the Petite Sirah. This is a big wine from a small berried clone sourced from a fairly warm weather location (Calistoga) and as a result produces very rich concentrated flavors. The Limited Production wines are generally under 1000 cases and are not sold online. The 2005 Diamond Mountain was their first vintage using Diamond Mountain fruit (their winemaker has past experience with fruit from this appellation) and what a nice wine this is. Smooth and soft with juicy fruit this wine sees extended maceration and the tannins are well managed. Their Cabernet Franc is only bottled as its own varietal during "high quality" years and when produced is only available in limited quantities. As they say at Girard, there is "always something happening at the tasting room". Special days include chocolate pairings, wine and cheese, a library wine day and more! Visit: www.girardwinery.com Note that during the summer Girard regularly is open later than most tasting venues - usually until 8pm and that they are setup to hold private events from 1 to 100 people including receptions or full-service sit downs. |
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