Groth Vineyards & Winery Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

This marks the return of this wine to classic-level status. Shows ample breed today, offering a long, dense and focused set of red and black currant paste notes wrapped in singed earth, dried anise, incense and black tea accents. Theres a terrific spine, with a wet slate/iron component driving along underneath the fruit as the finish shows a mouthwatering savory flurry. -- Non-blind Groth Cabernet vertical (August 2024). Drink now through 2042. 4,800 cases made.

With 9% Merlot in the blend, this wine was given 22 months in 100% new French oak and is built to last. Softly layered in cassis, it shows lifted acidity and graceful, firm tannins. Spicy nutmeg and clove season the fruit, adding length and complexity. Enjoyed 2026-2031.

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve emerges from two blocks on the western edge of the property where gravelly, alluvial soils naturally produce low yields in the vineyard. Black cherry, menthol, lavender, spice and dried flowers all develop enticingly in the glass. Bright and focused with plenty of supporting structure, the 2016 is extremely expressive, even in the early going. I would give it a few years in bottle to soften.

Tasted from a bottle purchased in New York and coming all from a selection of the estate vineyard, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is all Cabernet Sauvignon and spent 22 months in new French oak. It has a beautiful, slightly herbal bouquet of crème de cassis, lead pencil, damp earth, and tobacco that develops nicely with time in the glass. Playing in the medium-bodied end of the spectrum, it stays reserved and nicely focused on the palate and has impressive purity of fruit, fine tannins, and a good finish. It's not for those craving sheer opulence and richness, but it has a classic elegance about it that grows on you. It will drink nicely for 15 years or more.