The “Reserve” Cabernet That Lives Up To The Title
Groth Vineyards & Winery
Vintner File wine expert Gosia Young is hunting for a unicorn. Her search takes her straight to the source at Groth Winery in Oakville, Napa Valley. Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is an Oakville winery legend that continues to impress wine judges and receive top scores.
Courtesy of Groth
Shop The 2018 Reserve:
The Groth 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville is now available online. Exclusively for our readers, ground shipping is included when you use the code VintnerShip. Visit grothwines.com/2018-reserve to make your purchase. Offer expires this Friday.
One of the most misunderstood terms you may find on a bottle of wine is the word 'reserve.' That’s because the word’s use has no real regulation in the US. It can mean different things for different wineries. Traditionally, the term ‘reserve’ was employed when a winemaker would hold back or ‘reserve’ some of their best wine to release it later or age it a little longer. It’s not always due to vintage, either. A winemaker might reserve wine from a specific block of vines or wine aged in a particular kind of barrel. Typically, due to the time and effort required in crafting a wine of this caliber, a ‘reserve’ wine is more expensive. Unfortunately, today the term is bandied about by marketers who use it somewhat controversially. Yet, if you look carefully, there are still wineries that honor the practice of a true ‘reserve’ wine.
Groth Vineyards & Winery is one such example. Ever since Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate gave the Groth 1985 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon the distinction of being the first 100-point wine from the United States, the winery’s reputation has been centered around the concept of crafting excellence. For Groth, this takes shape in the form of a reserve wine that reflects Oakville’s remarkable terroir: the Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.
Introducing the Groth 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
The new year marks the release of the Groth 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. A true ‘Reserve’ wine in every meaning of the word, the newly released flagship Groth 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon wine spent 22 months in barrel and a further 14 months in bottle before release. Having already received 96 points from James Molesworth of Wine Spectator and Antonio Galloni of Vinous, this wine quickly proves worthy of its title.
What makes the Groth Reserve so special is that it comes from a very specific 28-acre band on the Groth family’s Oakville Estate, aptly titled the Reserve Vineyard. Here the soil is disproportionately high in chert - a hard and compact sedimentary rock comprising quartz crystals and fossils. The site’s unique soil profile and ideal climate combine to produce an elegant and age-worthy wine from one of the world’s top Cabernet appellations.
Courtesy of Groth
All About Oakville
When it comes to wine, it is all about location, location, location. Oakville is a breathtakingly beautiful place set among centuries-old oak trees and a patchwork of meticulously planted vineyards stretching between the majestic mountain bookends of the Mayacamas to the West and the Vaca Range to the East. The soils are primarily alluvial, allowing for excellent drainage and ample nutrition. The resulting Cabernet Sauvignons are Bordeaux-like in profile. Opulent, plush, and dense. This explains why the Oakville AVA is home to the largest concentration of the best Napa Valley Cabernet producers.
The winery’s President and CEO, Suzanne Groth, shares:
“Oakville is the perfect region for growing Cabernet Sauvignon — Groth’s passion and what lured our founders, my parents, to this place.”
When the Groth family first stumbled across Oakville in 1981, the region stole their hearts. In pursuit of their love for wine, the family took a gamble and purchased a 121-acre vineyard parcel. For 40 years, they nurtured the property and their vision. With a focus on sustainable farming, each vintage marks an opportunity to improve. Groth achieved its Napa Green and Fish Friendly Farming Certification in 2014. From the owl boxes to the cover crop in the vineyards, it’s clear that the winery has developed an intimate knowledge of its vineyards and the wines they produce.
Suzanne adds:
“Our Cabernet Sauvignon is polished and elegant. Our vineyard produces wine of power but with a graceful and plush texture. In 2014, we made a move to integrate vineyard management and winemaking when we empowered our Director of Winegrowing with responsibility for every step from growing grapes in the vineyards to putting the wine in the bottle.”
2021 marked the 40th anniversary of the Groth family’s purchase of their Oakville property. With this milestone came new changes, including the introduction of Ted Henry, Groth’s new Director of Winegrowing, and new wines, including the Groth Estate White, Oakcross Proprietary Red and the Oakville Neighbors Series of single-vineyard Cabernets. Even four decades on, it’s clear that Groth continues to look forward.
Courtesy of Groth
The Legend Continues
Described as the ultimate expression of Oakville; the Groth 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon represents the finest lots from the Reserve Vineyard on the Groth family’s Oakville Estate. Purple-ruby in color, this wine is dark and rich even to the eye. A plethora of aromatics greet you from the glass, beginning with blueberry and black currant, and leading to cinnamon, mocha, lavender, and clove. The final aromatics to reveal themselves are cigar box and wet gravel. When tasting the wine, the first impression is the fine tannin and balanced acid, leading to boysenberry, blackberry, and ripe plum skin. The finish is seamless and smooth — the hallmark of a Groth Reserve Cabernet. It will be delicious with well-marbled rib-eye simply seasoned and grilled over a wood fire or a rich wild mushroom risotto.
Today, the current vintage Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon retails for $160 and is available to purchase from the winery. Compared to the price of wines of similar stature, this is an absolute steal. This wine will age for decades for collectors looking to stock their cellar with a sure-bet.
In his Wine Spectator report, James Molesworth wrote that 2018 is a vintage that will be “a new benchmark for Napa Cabernet.” If you ask me, the Groth 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is the new benchmark for the 2018 vintage.
Shop The 2018 Reserve:
The Groth 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville is now available online. Exclusively for our readers, ground shipping is included when you use the code VintnerShip. Visit grothwines.com/2018-reserve to make your purchase. Offer expires this Friday.