Girard Old Vine Zinfandel Napa Valley 2013
$21.99 at Crush Wine & Spirits in Bryant, Arkansas (AR)
89% Zinfandel/11% Petite Sirah
Some of the Zinfandel vines are up to 100 years old.
Aged 14 months in French, Hungarian, and American oak – 35% new oak
Blackberry, smoke, and cedar on the nose. Raspberries, plum, blackberry, cocoa, cinnamon on the palate. Balanced acidity.
This wine is a refined and elegant version of Zinfandel and not the normal intensely ripe, high alcohol, and spicy style.
Girard Winery founded in 1975. Since then has undergone transfers in locations and ownership.
Started by Stephen A. Girard, II, originally from Washington state, a Kaiser Corporation executive who served as president and CEO of several Kaiser companies, and his son Steve, III. When he was president of Kaiser Jeep Corp, he introduced the military jeep to civilian drivers. Kaiser Jeep Corp. held trademark rights to the name of Jeep that ferried soldiers during World War II. Kaiser sold the company to American Motors in 1970 and Jeep is now a part of DaimlerChrysler Corp.
Stephen A. Girard, II
Getting ready to retire from Kaiser, the Steve II purchased land in Oakville next to the Silverado Trail and the Oakville Cross Road in 1974. They also owned property in Yountville near Domaine Chandon. Steve III ran the operation and built a winery in 1980. Steve III and his wine team quickly produced high quality wines that were served at the White House and taken on a presidential visit to China.
The family sold the winery in 1996 to Leslie Rudd which is now the current site of Rudd Winery. After completing his last Girard vintage in 1997, Steve III and his wife Carol moved to Oregon to focus on Pinot Noir and built and operated Benton-Lane Winery before recently selling the winery earlier this year.
Steve & Carol Girard
Girard Winery stopped producing wines for several years until Pat Roney purchased the Girard Winery name in 2000. Roney is president and founding partner of Vintage Wine Estates (along with Leslie Rudd, Michael Stewart, and Chuck Sweeney, one of the founders of Napa’s Vine Cliff Winery) based in Santa Rosa.
Pat Roney
Roney’s career in wine began as a sommelier at Chicago’s renowned Pump Room, where he worked during and after college. Later he returned to his native California and eventually he took up the reins of two wineries: first as president of Chateau St. Jean, and later as president of Kunde, both in Sonoma Valley. Ultimately Roney took his management skills and wine knowledge to the specialty food purveyor Dean & DeLuca, where he helped grow the business from a small presence in New York and Washington to a national enterprise.
The Girard wines have been made in a number of locations over the years, including their original site at a small winery on Pritchard Hill above Oakville now owned by Napa vintner, Dave Del Dotto.
Girard is best known for their Artisty red blend made of the five main Bordeaux varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Girard also makes a very good Petite Sirah. Both are available at Crush Wine & Spirits.
Winemaker Glenn Hugo started his career with Girard ten years ago as a harvest intern and was quickly promoted to Cellar Master and Assistant Winemaker before earning the title of Girard Winemaker. A native Texan, Glenn developed his passion for wine over 12 years in the restaurant industry before moving to Napa Valley with his wife, Pam, in 2003 to become a winemaker.
Glenn’s winemaking experience is concentrated in Napa Valley and includes early assignments with Provenance Vineyards, where he learned from renowned Napa winemaker, Tom Rinaldi. He also worked at Sedna Winery and Fleury Estate Winery. As the General Manager of The Bounty Hunter Wine Bar in downtown Napa, Glenn soon met Marco DiGiulio, Chief Winemaker for Vintage Wine Estates, and began his career with Girard.
Glenn Hugo