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One
of the impressive wines on a tour of western El Dorado County wineries
was a David Girard Vineyards 2002 California Viognier/Roussanne.
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Two dozen wineries
are scattered about the hills and hollows of western El Dorado County,
from Mount Aukum in the south to Pilot Hill in the north, from Shingle
Springs on the west to Camino on the east.
We moseyed about the
area the other day, wandering from Pleasant Valley to Coloma, stopping
at either new wineries or places we hadn't visited in years.
David Girard
Vineyards
Pedigree: Walnut
Creek attorney David Girard specializes in education issues, a calling
that takes him to school districts throughout Northern California.
That's how he discovered and subsequently bought 80 acres of rolling
woodland along Cold Springs Road northwest of Placerville.
This was in the
mid-1990s, when Robert Mondavi Winery was seeking growers willing to
cultivate merlot. Girard began to clear brush and plant merlot, 20
acres of it in an area not particularly recognized for the varietal.
Nevertheless, it
sold, and Girard found the business so promising he decided to get into
winemaking himself. Last fall, he, his vineyard manager, celebrated
Apple Hill fruit grower Ron Mansfield, and his winemaker, Mari Wells,
formerly of Chathom Vineyards outside Murphys in Calaveras County,
oversaw the first full crush at David Girard Vineyards, a handsome
Tuscan-inspired structure surrounded by steep vineyards, a wedding
pavilion, picnic area, stream and pond.
Why El Dorado:
Though Girard initially was agreeable to planting any variety that
would sell, he's since become convinced that the decomposed granite
soils, sunny setting and elevation (1,200 feet) of his ranch is ideal
for the sorts of grapes that have established France's Rhone Valley as
a fine-wine region - syrah, grenache, mourvedre, viognier, marsanne and
the like.
"The chardonnay and
cabernet sauvignon market is tough to crack," Girard says in giving
another reason for emphasizing Rhone varieties.
Focus: Girard's
vineyard is now up to 40 acres. Not only is the additional acreage
planted largely to Rhone Valley varieties, he's begun to graft his
original plot of merlot to the same kinds of grapes.
"I'm not a big oak
guy," Girard says when talking of his stylistic goals. In addition to
the judicious use of oak barrels, he's keen on the finesse that
intricate blending can produce in a wine, thus his interest in planting
such obscure varieties as grenache blanc and vermentino. "I like the
creativity of that," Girard says of blending decisions.
Don't miss: As a
group, Girard's wines are notable for their expressive aromatics, clear
fruit flavors, restrained oakiness and balance. Fruit from two prized
El Dorado County vineyards - Wylie and Fenaughty - went into the David
Girard Vineyards 2003 El Dorado Syrah ($28), which through its vibrant
floral smell, juicy berry flavors, silken texture and persistent finish
shows just why Girard, Mansfield and Wells are downright giddy about
the prospects of Rhone Valley varieties in the foothills. And while the
cabernet sauvignon market may be tough for foothill wineries to crack,
the David Girard Vineyards 2001 El Dorado Cabernet Sauvignon ($25)
shows why the varietal shouldn't be written off entirely. Aged in a mix
of new and old French and American oak barrels - another strain of the
blending that Girard relishes - the wine is as fresh, bright and
friendly as a bowl of spring cherries, just waiting to be joyously
savored.
Also especially
impressive were the peachy and spicy David Girard Vineyards 2002
California Viognier/Roussanne ($18) and a barrel sample of a vivacious
and complex 2004 mourvedre that won't be bottled and released until
later this summer.
The particulars:
David Girard Vineyards, 741 Cold Springs Road, Placerville, is open
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; (530) 295-1833.
