Girard Old Vine Zinfandel 2016

Drink now through to 2028. No need to decant before serving.

Girard was born out of a family’s dream to make exceptional and authentic Napa Valley wines and has quickly earned a reputation for well-made wines which offer excellent value. The winery has built up close relationships with its partner growers over the past few decades which give them access to top quality fruit from Napa’s top appellations each vintage. This approach allows Girard to consistently high quality wines every year while supporting local families and their livelihoods.

Girard’s Old Vine Zinfandel is crafted with fruit from two prestigious vineyards; the Morgon vineyard at the southeastern end of the Napa Valley and the Godward vineyard in Calistoga. The Morgon fruit typically brings freshness and pure fruit character while the Calistoga vines are far older and offer intense and complex layers of flavour with plenty of dried fruit and cherry liqueur notes.

On the nose there are concentrated notes of figs, dried fruit, and crushed blackcurrants while the palate is dominated by cassis, dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans and leather. There’s a remarkably smooth entry followed by firm tannins, a full body and a well-defined structure. This is a dark and handsome wine which is delicious to drink now and will also continue to evolve and develop if cellared over the next five to seven years.