Girard Artistry 2019

Drink it now or cellar for up to 15 years. It is recommended to decant it for half an hour.

Founded in 1975 by Steve Girard, Girard winery is located in the Napa Valley, and more precisely in the Calistoga subregion. For 20 years, the company has been owned by wine businessman Pat Roney. The company mainly produces red wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Sirah, which are generally aged in 100% French oak barrels. Their white wine selection includes a Russian River Valley Chardonnay and a Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc.

Artistry, their flagship wine, is a Bordeaux-style blend predominantly of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, with smaller amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, sourced from some vineyards in Atlas Peak, Oakville, St Helena, and Yountville.

This is an intense and concentrated wine that reveals a bouquet of red fruit such as raspberry and cherry, blackberry and aromatic herbs, a delicate minerality, and some toasted notes. On the palate, the wine has a good concentration of black fruits with firm tannins and a long finish of spicy notes. It is fairly rich and medium-bodied and it shows good aging potential. Try it with a beef stew, a venison steak, or wild boar ragu.