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Winemaker Notes: Our Reserve Cabernet is distinguished from our Estate Cabernet at the very beginning in the vineyard. Selected portions of our Oakcross Vineyard are allowed further ripening time in order to intensify the rich cherry/berry characters that define our vineyard site. Further selection in the vineyard and at the winery result in distinctive notes of plum, black cherry, vanilla and spice are apparent in the extraordinary aroma and flavor profile of this Reserve vintage...

Winemaker Notes: The 2002 Merlot has bright cherry and cassis aromas. The supple, lush mouth-feel of this wine is complemented by allspice and subtle, oaky notes. As with all Groth Merlots, it is not a shy wine but has the power and elegance that we have come to expect from this varietal grown in our vineyards. Enjoy now and age it for 5-10 years.

very cool/damp Spring got the vines off to a relatively slow start on their path to maturity. There were some occasional heat spikes in Summer which accelerated some of the vines to maturation. The weather cooled and Fall turned out to be beautiful! The temperate Fall allowed the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to reach a wonderful level of physiological maturity and to ripen on-time. Overall quality was excellent with strong sugars, good acidities, great colors and wonderful textures.

The grapevines got off to an early start in 2004 thanks to incredibly warm weather in early spring. The 2004 will go down in the books as a stellar vintage. Long, cool fermentation in a mixture of old and new barrels gives our Chardonnay layers of fruitiness and complexity that result in a wine that is very enjoyable when young or after several years of bottle age. Together these components meld together harmoniously to create a balanced wine that is both lively and rich in aroma and flavor.

The 2005 harvest was one of great extremes. A very wet Spring provided a lot of potential for a big harvest of very juicy fruit. A fantastic Indian Summer resulted in long hang times which allowed the grapes to mature at a leisurely pace giving us outstanding character, fabulous sugar/acid ratios and outrageous color. It was a great year all around for whites. In retrospect we find ourselves thinking back to the fantastic vintages of 1985, 1994 and 1995. These wines will go down in the annals of great vintages as ?real keepers?!