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2003 Girard Artistry, Napa Valley, Etched 6L 91 Points - Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine
Artistry: A Masterpiece in Winemaking from Girard
The Art of the Blend Blending has long been known as the key to fine winemaking throughout the ages. In Bordeaux, the five classic red wine varietals—Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec—have traditionally been grown on vineyard parcels most appropriate to the varying requirements of each varietal. But the sum of the parts has always been prized above and beyond the individual components. "It’s a bit like using a spice rack in cooking," says Girard winemaker Marco DiGiulio. "Each varietal brings a different character to the blend, creating a wine of superior quality. Cabernet Sauvignon brings an intense edge. Merlot adds roundness and finesse. Cabernet Franc offers an enticing herbal note. Malbec serves up pretty cherry-like flavors, and Petit Verdot gives great structure and color." Beauty Inside the Bottle Girard Winery has always employed this time-honored blending practice in crafting our signature red wine. Over the years, as winemaker DiGiulio honed his craft, it has become clear that the winemaking process is truly an act of artistic expression. As a tribute to Marco’s talent and effort, we chose the name Artistry. The 2003 vintage released in October 2006 is the first blend to carry this new designation. The five classic Bordeaux varietals in Artistry are sourced from 12 select vineyard sites. "There is something unique about each of our vineyards," Marco says. "For example, just north of St. Helena, the Lauer Vineyard is planted with old, head-pruned vines that yield solid, consistent quality every year. Our Malbec comes from Yountville, and our Merlot is grown in the Carneros region, at the southern end of Napa Valley. It’s grown on a slope with excellent western exposure and produces phenomenally intense fruit." Capturing the Essence The quality of the fruit must be captured in the cellar. Grapes sourced for Artistry are hand-sorted to remove clusters that don't meet our standards, then gently crushed to avoid harsh tannins. We use native yeast in our fermentations—indigenous, microbial "winemakers" to harness the truest expression of terroir while adding layers of complexity on the palate, which we find enhances the quality of all our wines. Artisty is allowed to go through a natural, secondary malolactic fermentation. To keep our entire winemaking regimen as natural as possible no commercial bacteria are used to start this process. The wine is then aged for two years in French oak barrels. For the final blend only the best barrels are selected. Artistry is then bottled unfined and unfiltered and aged in bottle for another six months prior to release. For us, the art of winemaking is what's inside the bottle—not on the outside, so our new label design has changed very little except for the Artistry designation. We invite you to discover Artistry for yourself. Our 2003 Artistry is also available in a 1.5L bottle and a 3L bottle.
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Sorry, we are unable to ship wine to AL, AR, DE, KY, MS, MT, OK, SD, or UT. Due to state laws we are unable to expedite shipping to AZ, MA or NJ AlabamaSorry, we do not ship to Alabama. AlaskaNormal ship time: 5-7 business days ArizonaNormal ship time: 10-14 business days ArkansasSorry, we do not ship to Arkansas. CaliforniaNormal ship time: 3-5 business days ColoradoNormal ship time: 4-7 business days ConnecticutNormal ship time: 10-14 business days DelawareSorry, we do not ship to Delaware. District of ColumbiaNormal ship time: 10-14 business days FloridaNormal ship time: 10-14 business days GeorgiaNormal ship time: 10-14 business days HawaiiNormal ship time: 5-7 business days IdahoNormal ship time: 4-6 business days IllinoisNormal ship time: 4-6 business days IndianaNormal ship time: 10-14 business days IowaNormal ship time: 5-7 business days KansasNormal ship time: 6-8 business days KentuckySorry, we do not ship to Kentucky. LouisianaNormal ship time: 10-14 business days MaineNormal ship time: 10-14 business days MarylandNormal ship time: 10-14 business days MassachusettsNormal ship time: 10-14 business days MichiganNormal ship time: 10-14 business days MinnesotaNormal ship time: 7-9 business days MississippiSorry, we do not ship to Mississippi. MissouriNormal ship time: 6-8 business days MontanaSorry, we do not ship to Montana. NebraskaNormal ship time: 5-7 business days NevadaNormal ship time: 4-6 business days New HampshireNormal ship time: 7-8 business days New JerseyNormal ship time: 10-14 business days New MexicoNormal ship time: 5-7 business days New YorkNormal ship time: 10-14 business days North CarolinaNormal ship time: 10-14 business days North DakotaNormal ship time: 6-8 business days OhioNormal ship time: 10-14 business days OklahomaSorry, we do not ship to Oklahoma. OregonNormal ship time: 4-6 business days PennsylvaniaNormal ship time: 10-14 business days Rhode IslandNormal ship time: 10-14 business days South CarolinaNormal ship time: 10-14 business days South DakotaSorry, we do not ship to South Dakota. TennesseeNormal ship time: 6-8 business days TexasNormal ship time: 6-8 business days UtahSorry, we do not ship to Utah. VermontNormal ship time: 7-10 business days VirginiaNormal ship time: 10-14 business days WashingtonNormal ship time: 4-6 business days West VirginiaNormal ship time: 10-14 business days WisconsinNormal ship time: 6-8 business days WyomingNormal ship time: 4-6 business days *We ship to only certain zip codes in AK and AZ. Please call us at 707.968.9297 to see if we ship to your zip code. Delivery Notes:Wine cannot be shipped to a PO Box. |
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