288713 Fri Mar 15 13:37:22 -0800 2002 4 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1559134 We had a wonderful Petite Syrah at the Lark Creek Inn two weeks ago and since then I have been looking for information on the winery. The bottle said "Girard" but apparently they are now Rudd Estates. Am having difficulty finding much out about them other than a location of Oakville. Does anyone know if they have tastings or a visitor center of any kind? Fri Mar 15 13:37:22 -0800 2002 0 susan blair 1 1559162 I've had their 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon and thought it excellent. Try this link: Link: http://www.carterhouse.com/atlas/wineries/girard.html Fri Mar 15 17:33:11 -0800 2002 1559134 0 Fidelixi 1 1559164 A better answer, cobbled together from web sources: Patrick Roney, former president of Sonoma County's Chateau St. Jean and Kunde Estate wineries, has purchased the Girard Winery brand. Leslie Rudd bought Napa Valley's Girard Winery in 1996. Rudd replanted the 46 acres of estate vineyard, renovated the winery, and chose to phase out Girard with the introduction of his Rudd Estate label on the 1998 vintage. Roney has purchased the Girard Winery brand. The Girard deal does not involve a winery or any vineyards. "I think Girard is a great name, and it has a lot of history," said Roney. The winery was founded in 1980 by Stephen Girard and was known for producing high-quality reserve Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays from Napa Valley. Roney will bottle about 8,000 cases from the 2000 vintage under the Girard label; about two-thirds of that will be a Napa Valley Cabernet-Merlot blend. Fri Mar 15 17:44:24 -0800 2002 1559134 0 Fidelixi 2 1559166 So there will be a Girard label produced by Chateau St. Jean and the Girard vineyards will produce wine under the Rudd Estates label?? Wow. Thanks for the info. So maybe it's a good idea to snap up Girard bottles from before the changeover. Looks like there is no tasting room in my future. The wine that triggered my question was remarkable. Fri Mar 15 18:06:46 -0800 2002 1559164 0 susan blair 1 1559180 Looks like the 'hounds have done some nice detective work. FYI, a great resource, if you ever need this kind of wine detective work done for you, is a site called wineanswers.com. (Disclosure: I'm a columnist for the site.) The site promises to answer any kind of wine question, I think within 24 hours or so. I think the link is "Ask the Experts." Anyway, it's a fun site, with lots of great links to every region in the world and many, many wineries... Link: http://www.wineanswers.com/ Fri Mar 15 19:32:32 -0800 2002 1559134 0 Leslie Brenner