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The Winemaker
It
may be the soil, the sunshine, the altitude or the
age of the vines that gives a special quality to a
fine wine. But that quality also comes from the skill
of the winemaker, and the tools he uses to coax maximum
flavor and elegance from newly harvested grapes.
With
his home and his family firmly planted in the heart
of wine country, 41 year-old Marco DiGiulio is a winemaker
whose craft is steeped in the culture of wine. As
such, he brings a rich history of Napa Valley winemaking
and excellence to the blend at Girard Marco is a native
San Franciscan who graduated with a degree in winemaking
from the University of California, Davis in 1985.
He subsequently worked at Pine Ridge, Atlas Peak and
Pezzi King wineries prior to moving to Robert Pepi
and later Lakoya in 1997, where he took over the reins
of ailing winemaker Greg Upton, who passed away that
year. The two winemakers’ collaboration yielded
a Cabernet Sauvignon that received an unprecedented
98 points in Wine Spectator. It set a standard by
which Marco now regularly measures himself."Every
wine should be an expression of the best that a vintage
offers," the winemaker says. "That’s
what I aim for each year. At Girard, I work with high
quality grapes that most winemakers can only dream
of. The same quality extends to what goes into our
bottles."Now in his fourth vintage at Girard,
Marco has caught the attention of wine critics throughout
the nation. His wines continue to receive critical
accolades from renowned writers and critics, who have
praised his skill in the cellar and his magic in the
bottle. The winemaker also makes a limited amount
of wine under his own Marco DiGiulio label. Marco
lives in Calistoga - at the northern edge of Napa
Valley - with his wife, Maria, and his son, Dario.
The Vintner
Although
he was raised in California, Pat Roney got his start
in wine as a student at Northwestern University in
Illinois. To make ends meet, the young college student
began working nights at Chicago’s famous Pump
Room restaurant as a sommelier. He remained there
for three years and eventually was charged with procuring
and maintaining one of America’s most noteworthy
wine cellars.
The
taste of wine agreed with Pat, and soon after graduating
from Northwestern, he signed on with The Seagram Wine
Company, where he spent 8 years as an importer of
fine wines. But the call of California led the importer
to retool his focus to the wine country there. He
moved back home to manage marketing for The Christian
Brothers Winery. Eventually he took up the reins of
two additional wineries: first as president of Chateau
St. Jean , and later as president of Kunde, both in
Sonoma Valley. Where there is wine, there is food.
Later, Pat took his management skills and wine knowledge
to the renowned specialty food purveyor, Dean &
Deluca, where as president, he helped grow the business
from a small presence in New York & Washington
DC to a national enterprise. Then in 2000, Pat returned
to his wine roots and became a managing partner and
principal owner at Girard, where he has been instrumental
in acquiring new vineyards and renovating the old
winery on Pritchard Hill. His dedication to quality
has been apparent since the very beginning, and Girard
is now regularly showered with praise from both the
wine and food media.
The
Winery
The
narrow, winding road up Sage Canyon leads a traveler
to one of Napa Valley's best kept secrets: Pritchard
Hill, where mountain wineries such as Bryant Family,
Colgin and Chappellet have carved a niche into the
steep slopes. It's here that you will also find Girard
Winery, founded 32 years ago at the dawn of New Age
winemaking in California.
Today,
Girard farms 40 acres of vines, 18 of which are located
on Pritchard Hill. The picturesque vineyards surround
a newley renovated winery, where visitors can experience
refined flavors inside the rustic elegance of Girard's
mountaintop cellars and tasting room. On hillsides
high above Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon is king.
And Girard winemaker Marco DiGiulio lets terroir -
or the vineyard - determine his choice of varietals.
It's no wonder Girard's Cabernet ripens well on this
rugged terrain, with views that stretch clear across
the valley.
At
lower altitudes, richer soils are more suitable to
growing white grapes such as Sauvignon Blanc and red
grapes like Merlot. As a result, Girard has dedicated
much of its valley floor acreage to these varietals.
Additionally, the winery sources a small amount of
Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah from individual
groweres in other parts of the valley. The Chardonnay
in the winery's portfolio also comes from grapes grown
in sonoma's upscale Russian River Valley. For more
than three decades, Girard has celebrated its sense
of place in the California wine country. With the
right grapes from the right locations, this Napa Valley
winery offers a line-up that features both power and
finesse - the hallmark of great California wine.
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