2018 Girard Winery Artistry
Community Tasting Note
sid_loves_wine Likes this wine:
Wednesday, November 10, 2021 - Got this at an insane closeout price at QFC ($15!?) and I'm sure glad I did. Went to grab one more. I was really impressed by this- would be excellent QPR around the usual $35-$45 price, and still acceptable for $50-$60, although for that price it might be lacking a little...precision? Complexity? In any event, a wonderfully rich wine that doesn't go overboard at all. Pop and pour, consumed over two days. Could age a little bit for sure, but doesn't need it, feels like an early drinker to me.
Great, ripe, oaky nose with loads of spiced plums or currants, buttery toast, red licorice (maybe some black licorice?) and on day two, even a little toasted coconut, like a macaroon. The fruit is very much there, but at times it's slightly overwhelmed by the oak, appearing ripe but also somewhat vague and difficult to truly identify. This didn't really take away from the inviting nose, but it's probably the wine's biggest drawback.
Palate is about the same- loads of dark fruits, although here they show a little more clearly, even dipping its toes into the "cool blue fruit" spectrum, at least on day 1. Day two the oak started to creep into the palate more too, again burying the fruit a bit, but showing beautiful notes of gingerbread and touches of mint (very Christmas!)- already shows very silky tannic structure and although this isn't an acid-driven wine, it's sitting at a solid medium, never flabby. The 14.9% ABV can be felt at times, but it feels well-integrated, warming but not cloying.
Ultimately, although the wine was more expressive (even flagrantly so) on day 2, I *slightly* preferred day 1 when it felt more structured and precise, with clearer, slightly fresher fruit and plenty of expression right on the pop and pour. Felt almost fully in the rich, ripe, modern camp to me, didn't really get any earthiness or savory complexity, but it's done really well here and there was an excellent sense of balance and freshness on day 1. Probably 95 if in the $30 range, more like 93 if closer to $50- prices seem to be all over the place.
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