GROTH, Oakville, Napa
In May 2022, Groth will celebrate their 40th anniversary. Incredibly, they are one of the oldest family-owned wineries in the region. A legacy that goes back to founders Dennis and Judy Groth. Dennis began his career as an accountant, becoming the CFO of Atari in 1978 (remember PONG!). In 1981, he and his wife Judy, purchased a 121-acre vineyard parcel in Oakville, Napa Valley. A year later, a 2nd vineyard of 44 acres, was added in Yountville. In 1985, they moved their family to Oakville where they still live. Suzanne, their daughter, has taken over the reins from her father. After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history (Suzanne is an accomplished artist), she decided on a career in the wine business and cut her teeth with the Henry Wine Group, a Californian wine distributor, selling fine wine to restaurants and retailers in the San Francisco Bay area. In 2017, she became President and CEO while her father remains as Chairman of the Board.
In 2021, the Groth family welcomed a new winemaker on board, just the 4th in the history of the estate. Ted Henry, who studied fermentation science at UC Davis, has had stints as winemaker at Trinchero Family Estates, Jarvis Estate and recently at Clos du Val, all in the Napa Valley.
It is the ‘dirt’ that makes the difference. The vineyards have been mapped extensively to understand which parcels produce the best fruit. Indeed, from 1999 – 2003 most of the Cabernet vineyard parcels were replanted notably changing the direction of the vine rows, but also replanting the sites closest to the Napa River to Cabernet Sauvignon, where it grows best. This is the location for the Reserve vineyard blocks. Today, Ted Henry is focused on doing a deep dive block by block, digging soil pits and taking Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) photos to measure vigor. In 2021, he was able to pick the grapes based on these measurements, identifying 14 different zones within the blocks.
Oakville is a breathtakingly beautiful place set among centuries-old oak trees and a patchwork of meticulously planted vineyards. With a shared vision amongst their esteemed neighbours, the Groth family has helped Oakville become recognised as one of the world’s preeminent wine regions. Groth has always been a leader in crafting expressive, lower-alcohol style Sauvignon Blanc and ‘non-Malo’ Chardonnay, with greater expression of fruit, using whole-cluster pressing and less aggressive oak treatment. Always wines with structure requiring some bottle-age, the ‘anti-blockbuster’ Groth Cabernet Sauvignon is better than ever, showing all the balance, finesse, depth, and character of wines of great pedigree.
