Benton-Lane Winery founders Steve and Carol Girard grew up in California’s Bay Area, both raised by parents who loved wine. Steve and Carol are high school sweethearts and shared their passion for wine, even while Steve served in the U.S. Navy. Steve and Carol later began their journey as a married couple in Napa Valley where they learned how to care for vineyards, make fine wine and founded their first winery, Girard Winery together. Girard Winery produced sought-after wines that were enjoyed at state dinners and taken by presidents to heads of state as gifts. Julia Child even selected the winery for one of her events.
Steve and Carol tirelessly studied temperatures, wind, sun strength, degree days and soils and finally decided on a 12-mile-long area on the foothills of the Willamette Valley Coast Range. This is where they discovered Sunnymount Ranch, an old sheep ranch near the village of Monroe. Sunnymount Ranch straddled the border between Benton and Lane counties and thus the name Benton-Lane was born.
Fresh raspberries & sour cherries on the nose, with black pepper & cardamom in the back, mingle with hints of earthiness & herbs redolent of dried thyme and fresh mint. Medium bodied with a vibrant, textured midpalate. Marked by elegant tannins & balanced acidity, this is a complex, nuanced wine with a long finish.
retail $28
POW $20
