New
Winery near Coloma Promises Rhone with a View
Wednesday,
April 6, 2005
By: Gary Moffat
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Mari
Wells sips wine in front of the new David Girard tasting room near
Coloma.
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I sensed that David Girard Vineyards was going
to be a class act from the moment I pulled into the driveway. There
were no signs urging "5 MPH SAVE THE VINES" on the roadway bisecting
the lower vineyard because all the lanes are paved.
Cresting the first slope, a beautiful, two-storey stucco
building-something borne from a Tuscan landscape-comes into view. A
fountain bubbles near the front door, and a sprawling patio drops off
to meet a spacious, gentle pond with reed-studded banks.
Tree-rimmed hillsides, planted in vines as long
as eight years ago, radiate symmetrically in all directions. This is
quite possibly the most stunning setting in the Foothills.
For nearly two years now, passersby on Cold Springs Road just beyond
Gold Hill Vineyards could only wonder at what was happening behind the
wrought-iron fencing that runs the width of the 85-acre estate. With
the official opening of the new tasting room this Saturday (the same
weekend as the El Dorado Country Passport Weekend), however, the newest
stop on the wine trail will be open for business.
"Everyone is curious," said Mari Wells, late of Chatom Vineyards in
Murphys and soon to be the first full-time winemaker employed by the
winery. She succeeds Chris Condos of Vinum Cellars fame, winemaker for
the first four vintages, including 50 barrels aging in the new winery
building. She is working part time until starting officially in June.
David Girard, of Walnut Creek and principal in a Bay Area law firm, is
the name, the vision and the financing behind this obviously costly
undertaking. It is clear that no expense was spared in making this
place a showcase-from the sleek granite counters in the trinket-free
tasting room to the Greek colonnade framed wedding ellipse, a dramatic
site where loving couples will soon descend to tie the knot.
The David Girard facility, perched at 1,300 feet, is the execution of
what many a wine enthusiast could only dream of accomplishing, yet it
distains the over-embellishment and excesses seen at other
deep-pocketed ventures such as Villa Toscano in Amador County. This is
elegance personified, and though much has been accomplished, it seems
merely to hint at what is to come.
Said Winemaker Wells: "We have the structure, and we have the team in
place. What we're doing now is the fun part-creating the personality."
Vibrant and enthusiastic, it would seem Wells is very much up to the
task of infusing soul into this landscape.
A Taste of David Girard Vineyards
Although the winery is not a part of the official El Dorado County
Passport Weekend event (it is too new and does not produce enough wine
to qualify for membership), you can stop by and check out the four
wines currently available for sale. Chris Condos was winemaker.
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon (El Dorado), $25: Nose of dark chocolate;
flavors of cherry, anise, almond and clove. Spent 20 months on 50% new
French oak, resulting in smooth tannins.
2001 Viognier-Rousanne (El Dorado) $18: Aromas of jasmine and
honeysuckle; silky mouthfeel with loads of fruit, including pineapple,
peaches and pears. Just 200 cases.
2002 Chardonnay (El Dorado) $18: Subtle chard because barrels used were
neutral and there was no malolactic fermentation. Crisp fruit with
toasted pecans on the finish.
2002 Syrah (El Dorado) $28: This one received a gold medal at last
year's El Dorado County Fair. One hundred percent syrah from the
vineyards on Carson Ridge. Cherry and ripe raspberries on the palate.
Just 160 cases bottled. |
"You want to be the very best, and the
Foothills are under rated, so it is possible."
At just 27 years of age, Wells, who occasionally moonlights as an
American River rafting guide, has a lot of winemaking experience behind
her. As an intern in 1999 and 2000, before graduating with a dual
degree in viticulture and enology from U.C. Davis, she helped make
pinot noir and sparkling wines at Gloria Ferrer in Carneros.
Then it was off to Chard Farms in New Zealand where she worked the
spring harvest and crushed pinot noir and what she terms "aromatic
whites". Back in the USA in time for her second crush of the year, she
worked along side legend Merri Edwards at the Pellegrini Family Winery
in Sonoma before landing a job as winemaker at Chatom in 2002.
She acknowledged, "I didn't have a lot of experience, but I had the
right experience and just sort of went for it."
One could say the table has been set at her new gig. Vineyard manager
Ron Mansfield (owner of Gold Bud Farms in Placerville) and Girard
decided to focus on Rhone style wines. Some 38 acres have been planted
in viognier, marsanne, roussanne, grenache and mourvedre. There are
also blocks of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, most of which is under
contract to Mondavi.
"I love to brag about Ron," said Wells. "He is so passionate; he has an
amazing palate and he has the ability to perfectly match soils to
varietals."
With Rhone wines coming into vogue, their selection was prescient. "The
plan was to stay in front of the market and find the secret spot before
the rest of the pack gets there," Wells added.
Girard purchased the property in 1994 and planted the Bordeaux
varietals, with sequential plantings of the Rhone grapes following.
This is the fourth leaf for most of the vines, and Wells is convinced
the juice will be outstanding.
"Young vines are great," she explained. "They have a lot of energy,
lots of balance and beefy tannins."
The David Girard label has produced about 500 cases of wine thus far,
but Wells plans to crush up to 75 barrels this year, yielding around
1,500 cases. Within five years she hopes to reach as many as 3,000
cases.
For Wells, a Georgetown-area resident, it is a dream come true. "When I
started rafting eight years ago, I never thought I'd be involved in a
winery right here."
Wine writer Gary Moffat owns Carpe Vino, a wine shop and tasting room
in Old Town Auburn. He can be reached at 530-823-0320 and gamoffat@pacbell.net.
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