A Napa mainstay, Groth has been producing high quality red and white wines for many years. Founders Judy and Dennis Groth found financial success while working for Ernst and Young in the South Bay. Dennis became chief financial officer at Atari and in 1981 they both purchased a large 121 acre parcel of land in Oakville. These vineyards are on the floor of Napa, right in the prime area for growing beautiful Chard, and Bordeaux varietals. Winemaker Cameron Parry took over as head winemaker in 2014, after previously serving as winemaker at Chateau Montelena for 10 years.
These new releases were solid, as I was particularly impressed with their Cabernet efforts in 2012, an exceptional Napa vintage. The 2012 Groth Cabernet is a rich fruit driven wine that is drinking great right out of the bottle. It would make a fantastic glass pour at any high end steakhouse. The crème de la crème here is the 2012 Reserve Cabernet, which is a massive wine that really needs another year (minimum) in the bottle to fully express itself. The Reserve has the density and structure to wrestle with some of the best of Napa. Here are the great new releases from Groth.
2014 Groth Sauvignon Blanc-This wine is a blend of 91% Sav Blanc and 9% Semillon. The grapes were 80% barrel fermented (sur lie for five months), with the rest in stainless. The lively wine opens with aromas of grapefruit, gooseberry and jalapeño pepper. There are flavors of grapefruit, peach pit, and nectarine. There is a lovely mineral steak in this impressive new release. This is absolutely perfect for shellfish. Drink 2015-2019- 91
2013 Groth 'Hillview Vineyard' Chardonnay- This cool vineyard site, located in the Oak Knoll District, was oringinally planted in 1996. This sat in 25% new French oak barrels for eight months, prior to bottling. There are aromatics of butter, poached pear and hazelnuts. Lovely minerality to this wine. There are flavors of vanilla cream, macadamia nut, and creme brûlée. Delicious wine that impresses. Drink 2015-2021- 92
2012 Groth Cabernet- The Cabernet is a blend of 88% Cabernet with 12% Merlot. This was aged 22 months in French oak barrels (65% new) prior to bottling. There are aromas of cedar, blackberry and mocha. The wine is open and polished with flavors of blackberry, graphite, anise, creme de cassis and mild tannins. There is a marvelous mouthfeel to this wine, with brisk minerality. Drink 2015-2029- 92
2012 Groth Reserve Cabernet- This rich wine, coming from the 28 acre Reserve Block at the Estate vineyard, was aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak, utilizing Vernou, Sylvain, Quintessence coopers. This also had over a year of bottle-aging prior to its recent release. The impressive bouquet opens with aromas of mocha, cassis and blackberry. There are boysenberry preserves, mocha, figs, graphite, and creme de cassis. Drinking beautifully now but this will be a long-ager. Try to resist popping the cork on this one for at least another year. Drink 2016-2035- 94