Groth Vineyards & Winery

“The moment that everything changed, we drove from Sonoma to Napa via the Oakville grade.  When we reached the top, we stopped and looked down on spectacular sea of vineyards.  Curiously, the vineyard we bought is one that we saw that moment, and every time we drive over the grade we think of that day.  It was a life changing investment for Judy and me,” Dennis Groth recalls.  The year was 1981.  The 121 acre purchase was the Oakcross Vineyard in the heart of Oakville.
 

As a family, we are dedicated to producing the best wine that a vintage will allow.  All of our resources, our property and the skills of our employees, are dedicated to this objective.  We believe that if we make great wine, success will follow.  Groth began as, and continues to be 100% family owned, operated, and managed by the Groth family: Dennis, Judy and their children, Elizabeth, Suzanne and D. Andrew.

Groth Vineyards & Winery believes that a significant portion of the magic in the bottle comes from what goes on out in the vineyards. Our Vineyard Manager, Ben Benson, has been farming on this land since he joined Groth as the very first member of the team in 1982. His years of experience with the Groth estate have enabled us to make sure we have the perfect grape planted in the perfect location.

We have matched soil types to rootstock, to grape clone, to trellising. Since 1996 Groth has replanted 90% of our vineyards. This major undertaking allows us to take advantage of the strides that have been reached in the viticulture community over the last decade, and combine them with our history with the land, to give us the ultimate combination between the grapes and the wines that we eventually make from them.

The vineyard philosophy at Groth isn’t a lofty abstraction; it gets right down into the details.  “Each and every vine is managed for its individual needs.” says vineyard manager Ben Benson.  “We prune, thin shoots, or leaf pull for balance throughout the vineyard so that all the grapes have uniform ripening and optimum maturity.”

More often than not, the same practices that promote grape and wine quality also have an environmental payoff.  When Groth replanted, the orientation of the vine rows was changed from cross valley to follow the natural direction of the Napa Valley.  This allows the breezes that come up the Valley from the San Pablo Bay to flow more easily through the vineyards.  The result is increased air circulation, less mildew and rot on the vines and consequently less need for spraying fungicides—better for the wine, better for the environment.

Preserving natural resources is also a key element of sustainable farming, one step further than organic farming.  Sustainable farming practices take into consideration its effects on the whole environment and upon the health of the entire watershed of the Napa Valley.  Water is precious in the state of California.  Encouraging cover crops not only helps establish a healthy insect population that battles ‘bad bugs’ it also preserves soil moisture.  “By encouraging cover crops we actually use less water, and we keep the tractor passes through the vineyards to a minimum,” say Benson.  We no longer use tractors to disc and hoe every weed in the vineyard.  “If you see weeds in the vineyards, it indicates smart farming and fewer chemicals,” says Dennis Groth.

Proper canopy management that lets more sunshine get to the grapes promotes riper flavors, and also discourages the population of destructive insects, like leafhoppers, reducing the need for pesticides.  Benson focuses on balanced vines—making sure that vines are spaced, pruned, trellised and irrigated in a way that produces just the amount of fruit the plants can ripen, no more, no less.  Besides promoting uniform ripeness, balanced vines ultimately require less work—fewer tractor passes, less fuel burned, less soil compaction.

Preserving the land is not only good for the grapes; it’s good for sustaining the family-owned business at Groth.  Dennis and Judy are proud of what they have accomplished and determined to pass it on.  “I’d like to think my kids could make great wine forever off this property,” says Dennis.