Girard Old Vine Zinfandel 2005
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The vineyard sources for Girard 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel are the Blue Ridge and Morgan vineyards on Mt. Vaca. Mt. Vaca is the highest peak of the Vaca range, which forms the Eastern border of the Napa Valley. The fruit concentration from these mountain vineyards ensure this Old Vine Zinfandel has rich flavor extraction, a fruit-forward palate and wonderful layers of complexity from multiple soil types.
The 2005 vintage is fuller-bodied than previous vintages and presents a dark ruby color. The aroma offers dark cherries, lush blueberries and ripe plums. Warm winter spices and underlying layers of baker's cocoa round out this powerful wine. Thanks to extended, cold maceration, the tannins are quite soft and well integrated.
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For the past 40 years, Girard has been singularly dedicated to ensuring balance in their wines. This is achieved by meticulously focusing on making choices that respect the grapes and Napa Valley heritage at each step of the winemaking process. They work closely with long-time growers in both mountain and valley vineyards to ensure vines are nurtured to develop balanced sugar and acidity in the grapes when it comes time to harvest. In their state-of-the-art winery, they employ innovative barrel technology to bring out the ripe fruit characteristics during the fermentation and aging process. The dedication to quality throughout the winemaking process is evident in the consistently award-winning wines that offer richness, complexity and balance in each sip.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.