Girard Carneros Chardonnay 2019
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Tasting
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The nose is zippy with citrus aromas of lemon and tangerine, stone fruits and toasted oak. The medium-weight palate is marked by refined minerality and oak supporting a ripe palate of pear, lemon cream and fresh apple flavors. The finish is a crescendo of baking spice, and crème brûlée flavors.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
The nose opens up with glossy aromas of lemon cake, paving the way for luscious flavors of peach nectar and apple. Dense and mouthcoating as this wine is, it strikes a fine balance with keen acidity and minerality. Mid-palate notes of vanilla cus- tard and chamomile meld with honeyed oak before lemon blossom and lime chiffon bloom on the finish. Aged ten months sur lie in 100% French oak.
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James Suckling
Ripe nose of cooked apples, mangoes, lemon curd and fudge. Full-bodied, dense and buttery. Opulent, flavorful chardonnay.
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Wine Spectator
Elegant and supple, with a touch of salted butter adding richness to the flavors of mango puree, peach and lemon meringue at the generous core.
Other Vintages
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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James
Suckling
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.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.