Saturday, April 3, 2010

Girard Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill 2006



There are certain wines that just take me to my happy place. Just about anything from Girard Winery has that wonderful effect on my state of mind. Girard is a little discovery from one of my fortunate visits to Napa when travelling for my real job. Last summer, during a visit to my friends at Elizabeth Spencer Winery, I asked for suggestions for other wineries to visit, and I was told to look for the Girard tasting room in Yountville. From the moment I walked in, I knew I had found something special. The décor is classy yet relaxed. The tasting room staff is knowledgeable, but they also know how to make wine tasting relaxed and fun. Even the music they played in the tasting room was to my liking. The most important thing, though, is that the wines were simply outstanding.

A couple nights ago, sitting here in the Buffalo, NY area, I decided that I needed a little taste of Yountville to conjure up my happy place. Lucky for me I had a bottle of Girard’s Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 laying down in my cellar. I opened it up and let it breathe in decanter for a couple hours, and then I took the wonderful journey to my happy place.

In your glass the Girard Pritchard Hill Cab is deep garnet red in color. The nose brings aromas of blackberry, cassis, and black cherry with subtle notes of licorice and vanilla. On the palate the flavor is stunning. Although this wine is no simple fruit forward bomb, it does bring an initial blackberry explosion to get things started in your mouth. Smooth tannins and nice acidity for a Napa Cab bring some structure and balance to the deep, dark, and delicious fruit flavors, and the finish does not disappoint Overall this is an absolutely delicious offering from winemaker Marco DiGiulio, who I think is making some of the best wines in Napa today. In my humble opinion, he knows how to walk that fine line between intense fruit flavor without crossing over into too much weight on the palate. Retail on this is $75 and if you join their wine club it’s only $60 which is a bargain for wine of this quality.

As far as food goes, this is a pretty food friendly Napa Cab for the right pairings. I had this a couple nights ago with a grilled filet mignon with a crimini mushroom reduction. It would also pair very well with a nice blue cheese.

Cheers!.

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