Groth Winery

Groth Winery is small to medium sized winery located in the heart of the famed Oakville district. It was founded in 1982 by Dennis Groth, who was a partner for 13 years at Arthur Young & Co and was also a former Atari executive (at one point was their Chief Financial Officer) and his wife Judy (who died in 2021). Both are natives of the San Jose Bay Area; they moved to Napa Valley in 1985.

Groth Winery was almost not built in this location as the Groth’s were extremely close to purchasing a vineyard in Sonoma County, however when driving from Sonoma County to Napa County at the summit of the narrow Oakville Grade they were “sold” by the beautiful vineyards they saw in the distance on the valley floor. The 121-acre property was already planted when they acquired it in 1981 to both Cabernet Sauvignon and Napa Gamay (Valdiguié) and both varieties were being sold to other wineries at the time. Justin Meyer, winemaker for Silver Oak Cellars oversaw the planting of this site in the mid 1970s.

Dennis wanted to try wine from some comparable vineyards (to ascertain the quality of his own property). He tasted a 1978 Villa Mt. Eden Cabernet Sauvignon (which was being produced from the site that is now home to PlumpJack Winery) and was so impressed that he ultimately contacted the winemaker of that particular wine, Nils Venge who he eventually hired. Like many other wineries have done, before their physical winery was completed, they produced their wine by renting space at other wineries including at Bouchaine and Monticello. Their first harvest at their own winery was in 1990 after the winery was completed. Along with the help of Judy Groth, Napa architect Robert Gianelli was responsible for the design of the winery. A special room named in his honor, the Gianelli Room is used for tasting library wines.

Nearby neighbors in this premium vineyard neighborhood include Silver Oak, Screaming Eagle, PlumpJack and Nils own winery, Saddleback Cellars. Not bad real estate indeed. In 2007 major expansion work was completed on the winery; an expanded crush pad was built as was a second state of the art tank room which contains smaller tanks for more hands-on management. In addition, their reserve barrel room was remodeled.

While it is easy to associate Groth with only their Oakville property, since 1982 they have also owned the Hillview Vineyard located slightly south of Silenus Winery on the west side of Solano Avenue almost directly across the highway from Trefethen Vineyards. The Hillview Vineyard (44 acres of which about 38 are planted to vines); this site produces the fruit for their Chardonnay and the Merlot which is used for blending. And despite being only a 10-minute drive from the winery, this is a much cooler site then their Oakville vineyard. Their estate vineyard is nearly 100 acres and produces fruit for their iconic reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dennis has been heavily involved in the wine industry since founding Groth and has served as President of the Napa Valley Vintners and Chairman of The Wine Institute.

Select Wines
Whites
Groth specializes in estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon; based on their excellent reputation for these red wines, perhaps sometimes their white wines are overlooked. Do not make that mistake.

The 2022 Groth Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of 86% Sauvignon Blanc and 14% Sémillon. This wine is a light golden color in the glass; the bouquet is an appealing layering of both fruit and herbal spice characteristics including yellow pineapple, lemon, boiled quince, honeycomb and white Babcock peaches along with kaffir lime leaf, ginger and young pine branches. This wine flows easily across the palate with flavors of slightly underripe pineapple, tropical guava, kumquat, lemongrass and honeydew melon. Finishes crisp and minerally with bright but not bracing acidity. Over the years we have taken tasting notes on Napa wines in a diversity of venues. These particular tasting notes were written on a flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco.

The Groth Vineyards 2020 Estate White is a blend of 81% Sauvignon Blanc and 19% Sémillon. It is pale gold in color. This wine holds its aromatics initially close to the vest but opens nicely as the wine evolves in the glass. Offers aromas of pineapple guava blossom, Babcock peach, notes of jasmine, citrus blossom and lighter aromas of lime. Simply put, the bouquet is beautiful. This wine is balanced between fruit and acidity across the palate with flavors of mandarin and yellow nectarine. The mouth feel is pleasing as well, with a rounded and slightly creamy texture but not a heavy viscosity (tempered nicely by the acidity). This was the second ever vintage of this wine released by Groth and was the winery’s first ever estate white wine to carry the Oakville designation. Highly worth seeking out for premium white wine enthusiasts.

The 2019 Groth Vineyards Hillview Vineyard Napa Valley (Oak Knoll District) Chardonnay is deep gold in color; offers aromatics of red apple, honeysuckle and melted butter with subtle hints of vanilla and caramel deeper into the aromatics. This wine’s balance is a hallmark integrated nicely between texture, fruit and acidity. Supple in its texture, the wine glides smoothly across the palate. Offers flavors of lime, green apple (but not tart) and lingers flavors of lemon meringue along with a both a brightness of acidity and slight sweetness of fruit (not residual sugar). This wine drinks very well by itself.

During one of our earlier visits to property, we sampled the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (by case production, their most produced wine) and the 2006 Chardonnay.

The 2007 Groth Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc is a delightful summer wine with noticeable notes of citrus and cut grass on the nose followed by a rounded mouth feel with some nice weight on the mid palate probably in part from the sur lie aging. Stone fruit and additional citrus flavors are present with a slightly tropical presence on the finish (note that 4% Sémillon is blended in the wine).

The 2006 Groth Vineyards Chardonnay sees no malolactic fermentation and carries a nice weight and creaminess on the palate. The honeysuckle nose and melon aromas lead to a palate that is dominated by an explosion of fruit flavor ranging from melon and stone fruit to additional tropical notes.

Reds
The 2017 Groth Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is dark ruby in the glass; offers bright and ripe fruit aromas of spicy Santa Rosa plum, black cherry, boysenberry, old cedar (has similar aromas to our grandmother’s old jewelry box), stewed tomatoes, white pepper and dried herbs. The wine keeps evolving in the glass to reveal additional aromas of mocha and darker desert spices. Flavors of blackberry and a dusty character, lingering on the finish. Ripe tannins show a lightness of grip which makes this wine very approachable in its youth. No harsh edges here.

The 2017 Groth Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlo. The grapes were sourced from two coveted vineyard blocks on the western side of their Oakville estate. is dark ruby in color with purplish tinges on the rim of the glass; its aromatics are immediately elegant, not jammy, not over ripe with notes of blackberry, sweaty leather, tobacco smoke, old cedar box and Graham Cracker. Deeper into the aromas are hints of cardamom and some Asian spices. Immediately noticeable on the palate is the wine’s freshness and brightness. Juicy and mouthwatering, offers lingering flavors of plum, red cherry and currant. The tannins are dense but rounded and supple and well-integrated. Features a somewhat savory finish. This wine was aged for 22 months in new French oak – during certain vintages, it is aged for an even longer time. It spent 14 months in bottle before released and is their smallest production wine.

2005 was an excellent year for red wine from Napa, especially from Oakville. This was the first year since 1999 that Groth produced a Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Their first Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was produced in 1983. The Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon incorporate only the highest quality fruit from select blocks within their estate vineyard. After 20 years of managing the same estate vineyard the family has a pretty good idea of which blocks consistently produce the “best” fruit. The reserve wine always has at least a year of bottle aging before being released.

The 2005 Groth Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine offers lively and mouthwatering acidity, showing bright fruit from entry to finish. While highlighting the fruit characteristics, this inspired wine does not showcase huge tannins. Rather, this valley floor produced fruit shows tannins that are well managed and complement food. Blackberry, black cherry and light notes of cedar round out the mid palate. The finish is long and clean. This wine will age very well.

For years, Groth has consistently over delivered (for the price point) limited production premium wines. Their focus is not on being the most intense or most ripe in style, but rather crafting balanced food friendly wines which are both approachable in their youth but have the characteristics to age.

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Groth’s early sales spike can be directly attributed to one man’s praise – Robert Parker. In 1984 Parker wrote complementary notes about their wines; such was Parker’s influence that it immediately resulted in a rapid increase in sales of their wines. And then the next year was a momentous occasion in Parker’s own career. Parker awarded his first 100-point score to an American winery for their 1985 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – made by Nils Venge. A large format bottle of the award-winning bottle is on display near their Reserve tasting room. Nils has since gone on to consult for many other premium Napa wineries as well as operate his own wineries, Saddleback Cellars and Envy. His 100-point score certainly set a high standard for Groth as their reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is only made during certain years when it meets their exacting quality standards. During some periods they will go 4 to 5 years without making this wine – a serious commitment to quality.

Winemaker Emeritus Michael Weiss and their vineyard manager have both been with the winery for many years. This dedication by key employees to a single winery is invaluable as it builds consistency into the wines as well as their intimate knowledge of the actual vineyards. Michael has over 30 years’ experience of working with Oakville fruit including time spent at Robert Mondavi Winery.

Suzanne Groth (Dennis & Judy’s daughter) is president and CEO of the winery. She is also an artist (graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Oregon with a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history). Look for her colorful artwork on display at the winery – prints of some of her works are also available. She produces a painting for every Reserve Cabernet release.

Groth maintains an “insectary” which is located to the side of the actual winery. Over 40 different species of plants were selectively chosen based on each plant’s ability to attract beneficial insects which then act as natural predators to the harmful insects within the actual vineyards. This garden includes a number of small trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses. Groth has long practiced sustainable farming, and this is just one more example of their commitment to this type of beneficial agriculture. Brochures listing the types of plants growing in the insectary are available from within the winery.

Hospitality
Whenever we drive by, we refer to this winery as the “pink presence” as due to its unique salmon color (perhaps pinker in its early years but since faded somewhat by the sun), as it certainly strikes an imposing image in contrast to the surrounding green vineyards. It is one of the Napa Valley’s most easily recognizable wineries.

Guests can either make an appointment for a tasting or also for a tour. Tours are given twice daily, are separate from the tastings and require an advance reservation. Allow at least an hour for the tour which includes tastings of the white wines as well as their famed Cabernet Sauvignon. As with winemaking, the actual tour starts in their vineyards and gives one a good overview of the inner workings of a small to medium sized winery with visits to their tank facility and reserve barrel rooms.

The special reserve tasting is often held with one of the Groths. This experience takes place in the Reserve tasting room. This is a unique opportunity to taste some of their well-known Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (this wine when produced typically sells out extremely quickly).

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For more information or to sign up for one of their Wine Society offerings (members enjoy typical wine club perks including discounts on the wine), visit: www.grothwines.com

Groth Winery + Hospitality

Groth Oakville Vineyard
Photos coming soon

Hillview Vineyard, Yountville
Photos coming soon