Layered aromas of toasty oak, mandarin orange, white peach and minerals.
It has a medium-bodied, creamy mouthfeel, with flavors of apple, stone fruit, lemon meringue pie and a hint of saltiness, and a supple, refreshing finish.
Fresh and vibrant, it can be enjoyed now or allowed to age for a few years.
The 2021 growing season started with a rainy January and February, but little rain fell for the remainder of the season.
The dry season saw early bud break, flowering and earlier than normal fruit set in the spring.
Temperatures were mild throughout the spring and summer, with no heatwave-like spikes, so coloring was uniform in July.
The continued drought resulted in naturally low yields, which allowed the grapes to ripen into concentrated, flavoursome fruit.
Carneros is located north of San Pablo Bay on the border between Sonoma and Napa counties.
Its proximity to San Pablo Bay results in cooling fog and afternoon sea breezes, resulting in a cooler, more moderate climate than the northern Napa Valley AVAs.
Carneros' cool climate makes it attractive for growing cool-climate varieties such as Chardonnay.
The vineyard is a mix of Dijon, Wente and Robert Young clones.
The history of Girard Winery as it exists today began when former sommelier Pat Roney took over Napa's long-established winery in 2000.
Owner Pat Roney began his career as a sommelier at the legendary Chicago restaurant, The Pump Room.
He then returned to his native California to work in wineries, eventually rising to become president of Chateau St. Jean.
He is also well-versed in food culture and has participated in the management of Dean & Deluca, and in the new century he started the winery Girard Winery.
Utilizing Pat's connections, the company sources high-quality grapes from a wide range of prestigious vineyards, from its own vineyards to the valley floor and mountain regions of Napa Valley, and uses these grapes to create wines that express the essence of the diverse Napa Valley.
They produce a variety of unique wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as single-varietal wines such as Malbec and Petite Sirah, and even old-vine Zinfandel.
Like Pat, Glenn Hugo comes from the restaurant industry, having started as a harvest intern at Girard's before becoming winemaker.
The company is currently taking on new challenges one after another, and is working on a variety of projects, including reviving a field blend of Rhone varieties that was once produced in Napa, and developing "fusion barrels" in collaboration with a barrel maker, which combine barrel wood from the United States, France, and Hungary to create small barrels.
In addition, the Calistoga winery, which was completed in 2018, has introduced its own green program, providing 95% of the electricity used in the winery with solar panels and adopting a cellar cooling system that uses the cool air at night.In response to the growing problem of drought caused by climate change, the winery is implementing sustainable programs in all areas, such as recycling water and introducing machines that can wash barrels using minimal water, with the aim of producing wines that will be passed down to future generations.