Winemaker Notes
This wine presents a compelling bouquet of deep red and black fruits, with prominent aromas of fresh blackberry, rich dark cassis, and black currant. Fine herbs, ancho chili, allspice, sesame, and hints of menthol add an intriguing complexity. On the palate, sun ripened wild blackberry leads to indulgent notes of chocolate-covered black cherry and notes of tobacco leaf. A hint of gingerbread introduces a delightful spiciness, harmonizing with soft yet powerful tannins. The finish is lingering and extended, leaving a lasting impression of elegance and depth.
Blend: 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Ripe, defined and very sleek, this delivers a pure beam of cassis, blackberry puree and black licorice flavors framed by notes of singed apple wood and sweet tobacco. Savory, wet slate and warm earth notes chime in, while latent energy drives the finish. This should emerge steadily with cellaring, with a long life ahead. Best from 2028 through 2042.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A selection of the best lots from the winery's Oakville estate, aged in 100% new oak, Groth's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a great wine at a realistic—for Napa Valley—price. Textbook notes of cedar and vanilla gently cosset black cherries and hints of dried herbs. It's full-bodied, creamy and lush in texture, showing more concentration, tannin and length than the winery's regular Oakville Cabernet.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A much smaller production release, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve checks in as 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot that was brought up all in new barrels. Its dense purple hue is followed by a ripe, concentrated, medium to full-bodied wine with lots of blackcurrant and plum fruit, some smoky herb, graphite, and chocolate notes, ripe, focusing tannins, and good mid-palate depth. As with many 2021s, the cellar will be your friend. Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades.
Rating: 94+ -
James Suckling
Refined, textured and harmonious, with controlled power and poise throughout. It’s full-bodied with fine tannins and a velvety texture on the center palate. Subtle aromas of dark cherries, blackberries, raw chocolate, dried thyme, pebbles and baking spices mingle on the nose. Velvety, restrained and polished in the long finish. Try from 2025.
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Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is absolutely gorgeous. Bright acids give the 2021 striking energy to match its understated, mid-weight personality. Dark red cherry, rose petal, blood orange and spice open first, driven by beams of supporting tannin that confer energy. Winemaker Ted Henry crafted a Reserve that melds old school classicism with contemporary polish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Generous and approachable, with the structure to serve a meal beautifully. This wine features flavors of ripe blackberries, cocoa, juicy plums and cloves. Tannins are just grippy enough to keep the wine palate cleansing. It is flavorful enough to enjoy on its own.
Groth Vineyards & Winery is a family-owned company with deep roots in the Oakville AVA,
home to Napa Valley’s largest concentration of top Cabernet Sauvignon producers.
Dennis and Judy Groth made a life-changing investment in 1981 when they bought a vineyard on Oakville Cross Road, in the heart of Napa Valley, with hopes it would produce wines as special as their favorites from the region. It didn’t take long for their intuition to be proven right. Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate gave the Groth 1985 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon the distinction of being California’s first 100-point wine.
Today, with Dennis and Judy’s daughter, Suzanne Groth, as President & CEO, Groth sustainably farms 165 acres of estate vineyards with the dual goals of producing the highest-quality, most elegant wines we can while caring for our estate for future generations. The winery produces critically acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The 2016 Reserve Cabernet was ranked No. 4 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2019 list.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.